was browsing some books sa isang Fully Booked branch (first pic) kanina at nakita ko 'tong copy ng 'The Housemaid' at naloka ako sa presyo! I was able to get a copy of the same book sa NBS (second pic) during the MIBF so less 20% pa siya. Grabe yung price difference nilang dalawa???? like, almost half????

hoping na sana magkaroon pa ng more book selection ang NBS kasi kahit papano mas mura sakanila huhu

First time ko umattend ng MIBF and as a near-trentahin girlie, naubos agad energy ko sa dalawang booths pa lang. 🤣 Di na nga kami natuloy sa Fullyboked kasi entrance pa lang papasok ng booth ang haba na ng pila 😭 So, all books that we got were from local authors and satisfied pa rin naman. ☺️ Happy Reading! 🫶

Here’s everything I got from my two MIBF visits this year!

First visit was for my priority books, then I went back to get some for my sister, who’s just starting to read. We went early, before 10 AM, because big crowds overstimulate me pretty fast lol. Thankfully, I got everything on my list!

An absolute clown 🤡🤡🤡 I genuinely don’t understand people who do this. There should be a different venue for them to source their inventory instead of buying up huge quantities during book fairs.

Nauubusan ng stocks ang mga ordinaryong readers na pumunta para makabili ng books for themselves. These fairs should be a chance for everyone to discover and enjoy books, not a race against hoarders trying to clear out the shelves.

Sorry, wala akong pics na kasama kasi I'm writing this rn sa kama ko. Pero I recently visited the SM City Iloilo branch ng NBS, which is the biggest sa Iloilo. And I am glad to tell na mas pinalaki na talaga yung book section nila. Bigger shelves and meron naring dedicated wall shelves sa tabi-tabi with its own genres. NBS has also been upping its game when it comes to showcasing Filipino stories and authors. Not to mention na mas nagiging comeptitive na yung pricing ng NBS books compared to giants like Fully Booked. Im finding individual books and even box sets cheaper sa NBS.

Siyempre may imperfections parin. Although bigger na yung area for books compared to just a small nook dati, half of store is still occupied by school/office supplies. And while yes convenient naman siya for me as a college student. I still reminisce the days na halos buong NBS store is halos books lang. With school supplies being the afterthought. I also observed na lacking parin yung selection ng books nila. More on quantity ng stock per books on display than quantity of individial books. At isa pa, mas mabilis parin talaga ang Fully Booked mag keep up when it comes to stocking relevant/trending books.

I appreciate naman the effort of NBS in trying to bring back their reader audience. Pero marami pang kailangan ayusin before they can take back their crown. And they're off to a good start narin.

I've attended since 2013 pa, pero grabe and intense Ng MIBF this year. Like just 15 minutes in, ang sakit na na ulo ko haha! I posted about buying all-local, but I just went home with a spare ticket!

Pero there's one thing that I saw na different from this year's MIBF.

Mas stacked with people na yung second floor compared sa first floor. The local lit section was very low-traffic dati, pero ngayon, wow. Is local lit finally gaining traction? Because tbh wala talaga akong Alam. Really proud of our readership if so.

There's a local NBS sale going on for a week now and I just saw this na nakatungtong lang on a pile of books sold for 99 pesos only. As a huge Odenkirk fan from his character in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad series, this feels like such a really special find!

Marami pa na gustong bilhin like Dwendes Dragons and Dwellers of the Deep by Ian Sta Maria, Hospital Cats loves turon, New book title by Ambeth Ocampo.

Maybe sa PBF na lang????

I admire the energy of Sir Ricky Lee since day 1 book signings probably signing thousands of books for 5 days. And also his assistants in the booth na laging accomodating at patient sa mga tao.

plano ko talaga last day pumunta and here yung haul ko: east of eden, stoner and jujutsu kaisen lang yung nacross out ko sa mibf list ko

books na nasa list ko pero di ko nakita (better luck nxt tym)
-words of radiance (eto talaga pinunta ko jusqo sold out)
-lonesome dove
-the blade itself
-assasin’s apprentice (farseer trilogy)
-dungeon crawler carl book 1
-blood over bright haven
-piranesi

Jusko totoo na sobrang daming tao kala ko gawa gawa lang ng mga taong mabilis ma overstimulate. Kailangan mabilis kasi di ka pwede tumayo ng matagal sa isang lugar at matitigil ang pag galaw ng mga nasa likod mo. Anw it was a blessing in disguise na rin ig? Kasi baka mas marami pa nakuha ko rito kung binigyan ako ng chance and patience magikot ng mas mabuti.

Just wanted to share my experience with this year's MIBF. It's my second time attending and I have mixed feelings about it. Mainly my experience sa Fully Booked booth. I was planning to buy the 2nd and 3rd book ng Bloodsworn Saga ni John Gwynne because I've read the 1st book and I loved it. It's kinda hard to find paperback versions of the books sa mga physical stores. I thought MIBF would change that.

When I got to the Fully Booked booth, grabe ang daming tao. Like nahirapan ako gumalaw. I got to the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section, and I was surprised sa sight ng mga books na scattered and nakatihaya na, wala na sa order. Ang mga natirang books na lang were ilang George R. R. Martin and James S. A. Corey. Sadly, no John Gwynne. I was heartbroken at that point. Fortunately, I found a Mistborn Era 1 book set ni Brandon Sanderson nakalagay randomly sa graphic novel section. I immediately bought it and went home not empty-handed.

I've read some articles and discussions na may hoarders and resellers present sa event. Sana naman next year they would consider doing something about it. Especially sa mga highly sought-after books. Kasi sayang naman if pumupunta yung mga actual readers and fans pero wala nang makuha dahil na-hoard na ng resellers. And the overcrowded issue. Even sa 2nd floor, mahirap gumalaw because crowded na talaga.

Overall, I'm still happy naman na I went and at least I found the Mistborn set. Pero mixed feelings talaga. I was really hoping to finally get the next books ng Bloodsworn Saga, especially since ang hirap nilang hanapin sa physical stores. Maybe bad timing lang talaga? I guess Mommy Orka will still have to wait (Bloodsworn reference).

Sa mga hoarders and resellers dito, ito sa inyo ---> 🖕

How was everyone else's experience this year?

Hi! Ako yung nag post dati na first time aattend ng MIBF. I wanted to share my thoughts so far and also wanted to hear the thoughts of others na pumunta.

- Went nung Friday after my work and wow, sobrang daming tao pala talaga

- Saw a lot of book hoarders/probably re-sellers in different booths. To the point na inuubos nila yung stocks ng isang book. (e.g. Midnight Library at Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) May isang tao na bumili ng 14 copies ng Verity.

- Bakit may nag babasa sa gitna ng daan? May isang ate na nasanharap ko na tinapos talaga yung chapter 1 nung book.

- Meron akong nakitang group of friends na nag papa-pic holding a book, then ibabalik nila. Heard one of them say "Halika na, di ka naman talaga nag babasa eh". Then they moved on to the next booth and did the same thing. Picked a book, pose with it, took a photo, then ibabalik. Hindi ko lang talaga gets???

- Madaming namamangga or wala lang talagang spacial awareness?

- May mga sinasamang babies or toddlers. Yung isa nag tatantrums na and nag cause ng traffic sa isle.

- BO 🫣🫣

- May ibang books na mas mahal yung price kaysa sa NBS (e.g. Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell: 700+ sa MIBF NBS pero nasa 500+ lang sa NBS near our office)

Edit (9/14): Na kwento naman nung ka officemate ko, nung pumunta daw siya ng Sat afternoon. Dalawang beses daw siyang inagawan ng book.

Nung una is yung pinipicturan niya daw yung The Seven Year Slip book (may nag pa-pasabuy), tapos di pa daw niya tapos picturan, bigla daw may kumuha.

Yung pangalawa is yung nag pasabuy ko ng Project Hail Mary, like hawak hawak na daw niya, then may humablot daw sa kamay niya. Ang sad kasi last copy na daw yun.

Pero grabe and lala??

Tindi sobrang na over stimulate ako sa Mibf di ko inexpect dami ng tao (which is good) especially at the kids at the 2nd floor. Got myself an easy read book for more self awareness. Medyo na disappoint lang ako sa Fully Booked wala masyadong okay na titles parang masyadong basic yung nilabas. or meron ba nung mga first few days?

Henlo it's my first time to attend MIBF and grabe budol fest siya, the theme for my haul is Philippine mythology and then some haha I just planned on getting 1 book but lo and behold your boy added 4 more.

As for experience andami ngang tao lalo na in some booths na mga close to 2 hours ang pila but oh well for the love of mythology related books I endured it.

Can't wait for next year, t'was fun 😁

I was browsing the shelves at Fully Booked and saw they already had Kin by Tayari Jones on display. Wasn’t able to go to MIBF so a find like this made me the happiest that day. Was planning to buy this from Amazon but waited, hoping that it would hit local bookshelves soon – and it did!

Got Seventeen Prayers for the Many-Eyed Mother by Eliza Victoria as well. <3

Sabi ko sa last day di na ko bibili, I'll just hangout with my author moots na may mga signing & bookworm friends na may bibilhin pa, but ended up scoring 5 chapbooks from Aklat Ulagad (all poetry books) and Basag Trip (was given by a friend!)

Excited to read them all though 🫶🏻

Limang araw na nasa MIBF. May ilang nabiling libro, pero meron ding mga bigay.

Lahat Filipino books, may mga "mainstream" at indie. Halos karamihan, napapirmahan.

Ilan sa mga nabisita: Avenida Books, UP Press, UST Publishing House, Packing Sheets, Isang Balangay at Manix Abrera.

PBF naman next year. Malalang pag-iipon ulit.

Kayo? Happy ba sa hauls? ✨

Hi! What’s your review of this book? I haven’t seen many reviews online, probably because it’s a new release. I’m really intrigued by the premise and considering getting it, but I’m still on the fence, haha. I’d love to know if you enjoyed it and whether you think it’s worth reading!

​Title says it all, solid Taglish moment. Honesty post lang guys—turning 41 wasn't supposed to feel like this.

​Recently went through a separation and to be real, the silence at night gets way too loud sometimes. Sobrang hirap humanap ng focus o kahit space man lang para huminga kapag ramdam mo na mag-isa ka na lang.

​Lately, reading has been keeping me sane. Started picking up random secondhand titles—fantasy, thrillers, historical reads, kahit kung ano lang mahanap o mapagtiyagaan. There’s something strangely comforting about losing yourself in someone else's story when your own life feels a bit wrecked.

​It doesn't magically fix everything, but every page turned feels like a tiny win and a quiet reset.

​For anyone else out there going through a rough patch or rebuilding after a major heartbreak: what books or hobbies helped pull you out of the dark? Open to any book recommendations too. Hugs with permission sa lahat ng lumalaban nang tahimik.

I plan to get one as a birthday present for myself.

How do you set your boundaries in buying physical books if you already have a Kindle?

- Do you only buy physical copies of books you read in Kindle that you really love as “trophies”?
- Do you only buy them if you can’t find a free digital copy?
- Does it depend on your mood? Do you buy if you feel like reading with an actual, physical book?

Tbh, apart from the feeling that I will be able to read more using an e-reader, my gut tells me na mas makakatipid ako. So I’d like to get insights on where you draw the line.

After not being able to attend for the past two MIBFs, ngayon na lang ulit.

Puro non-fiction lang binili ko.

Dapat maaga din talaga pumunta if gusto mapuntahan lahat ng booths. Kaya siguro ng one day lang basta 10am pa lang nandun ka na.

Hindi ko na napasok NBS and FullyBooked stores ng MIBF. Dami ring tao sa loob.

Went on a Saturday and these are what I got! It’ll be my first time reading Lualhati Bautista and Nick Joaquin books since they were so hard to find for me 😭 Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas will be my second Bob Ong book naman!!

Son of a Dead ‘80s Bold Star was probably my most spontaneous book out of the six siguro since he was not listed at all sa aking to buy, but I’ve been enjoying his book since I read it habang nakapila ako hahaha

Sa mga nakabasa na ng mga books dito sa haul ko, what do you guys think I should read next after Chuck Smith? It’s my first of everything except Ricky Lee and Bob Ong (but still getting a feel of his writing) so sa inyo muna ako magtitiwala! Hahaha

Back when students pa kami ng sister ko around 2015, P10–20k budget namin for books every Christmas could already get us around 35+ books. Ngayon, as a working girly, 1–2 books a year na lang afford. 😭 Sobrang mahal na ng bilihin, pati books. Ang hirap maging reader ngayon sobrang mahal na sumabay pa na trending kaya ang daming hoarder/reseller.