It's here!!! National Book Store's Cut Price sale 2013 + NBS @ MIBF!

It's that time of the year again!

You're ready, right? It's the annual Cut Price sale!!!

If you're not convinced that YES, YOU CAN FIND AWESOME BOOKS from the CUT PRICE SALE, check out my 2011 post here. I got a few awesome books there!

Also, did you know that National Book Store will also be at the MIBF? Well if you're a regular visitor, you know they have a massive, awesome booth every year. This year is special because NBS is also bringing 3 international bestselling authors for a signing!!! Check out the press release below:

National Book Store at the 34th Manila International Book Fair

The National Book Store booth is bigger than ever as we celebrate the love for reading at the 34th Manila International Book Fair, the country’s biggest and longest-running book fair, from September 11 to 15 at the SMX Convention Center.

Get big discounts on textbooks, educational supplements, general references, religious and inspirational titles, self-help books, management books, Filipiniana, coffee table books, popular novels, children's books, art books, graphic novels, rare and hard-to-find titles, magazines, multimedia, teaching supplies and services, publishers' technology, and travel materials.

Enjoy freebies and giveaways, pick-a-prize promos, workshops and seminars, demos and contests, mascot visits, and other activities by All About Scrapbooking, BIC, Disney Art Attack, Dong-A, Post-it Notes, Scotch, Sharpie, Titus, Faber Castell, Mongol, Stick-ee and Hallmark Cards.

Meet and greet, and have your books signed by local authors Jaime Licauco and Cory Quirino, Haveyouseenthisgirl for Diary ng Panget, Jomike Tejido for Foldabots, Elbert Or, Tin Belen, Liza Flores and Hubert Fucio for Lola Basyang, Alexander Lacson, Pol Medina for Pugad Baboy, Marcelo Santos for Para sa Hopeless Romantic, Aivan Reigh Vivero for Fan Girl Meets Superman, Ricky Lee, Nicole Hyala and Chris Tsuper for Tambalan Nicole Hyala at Chris Tsuper: The Philippines’ Most Popular DJs, Bianca Bernardino for She’s Dating the Gangster, RJ Ledesma, Mina Esguerra, Papa Jack for Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned from Papa Jack, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo for Trese, and Ian Sta. Maria and Mervin Ignacio for Skyworld.

Plus! Join New York Times bestselling authors Melissa de la Cruz, Alyson Noel and Margaret Stohl for a book signing event on September 15, 2 pm. Registration starts at 10 am. Only the first 200 registrants will be given signing slots.

Follow National Book Store on Facebook and Twitter for the complete schedule of promos and events at the National Book Store booth. Shop online at nationalbookstore.com.

The MIBF Experience

Once a year, the Manila International Book Fair opens, and book worms, book lovers and those who just love reading convene in one place to satisfy all their bookish needs. I haven't attended any MIBF events in my entire life, and I was hoping I will be able to attend at least some of the major happenings, but my schedule only allowed me to visit MIBF 2 days before it ends. And I was there today to check out what's in store for me, and here's what I got.

I got to SMX around 3pm after a very important appointment with a friend was over, so as expected, the place was overflowing with people. Kids, accompanied by their parents, and people of all ages are roaming the halls scouring for books, some were even wearing cosplay clothes. After I paid for the entrance (20 PHP) I immediately hit National Bookstore's bargain shelves. I figured it would be better if I scour the shelves for bargain books first before I go through all the books inside (all books have 20% discount!).

Alexander Yates' Moondogs book signing event

I got there just in time to catch the end of Alexander Yates' Moondogs book signing. There was a crowd of people in front and by the time I tried to check if he was still there, the signing was over. I got sidetracked by all the books around.

So I went over the YA book section to see what books they got, and I was a bit impressed by what's on the shelves.

Two awesome books side by side

Noteworthy titles are You Against Me, Dear Bully, Hades, Bloodlines and Fury. Those copies of Liesl and Po were gone by the time I went back to grab a copy. I'm sorry for the blur! I didn't try taking a second picture since I'm not sure I'm even allowed to take one.

And I also stopped by the table for Scholastic. Remember people, the Rachel Ward event is tomorrow! You'll be able to talk to Rachel and if you buy a copy of the book, you'll get an 'I Am Numbered' button! *whispers* Buy the box sets for The Wolves of Mercy Falls series and The Hunger Games series too!

I got these 5 YA books from the bargain rows and I picked up a copy of Dear Bully. It took me around an hour to find all of these. I also found copies of Rachel Vincent's My Soul To Take, Big Fat Manifesto and Found but of course when I tried searching for them again, they weren't there. Contrary to what other people say, all these books are in great conditions!

I hope to catch Rachel Ward's event tomorrow! And I also want to check out the panel discussions for Samantha Sotto, Andy Mulligan and Alexander Yates.

It was raining pretty hard earlier today, but I had a lot of fun! I tried going around all the other booths inside but there weren't much activity in any of them compared to National Bookstore's. Houghton Mifflin and Grolier only had a few books. Plus the staff at National Bookstore were wearing Ally Condie's Matched shirts and Paulo Coelho's Aleph, I want one!

Overall it was an enjoyable experience. Maybe I chose the wrong day to go, but nevertheless it was awesome!

Book finds!

Forgive me for not updating the blog for 3 days now. I've been busy with a lot of things and I haven't found time (and the motivation) to read and/or write a review. So this is probably a lame attempt to make up for that lack of reviews and updates. :)

I live for book sales. I'm a cheapskate, actually, that's why I love sales. Although I have to admit I never knew when the exact schedule will be, and I'm caught off guard most of the time. Going to book sales and finding good books is a big challenge, since you have to search through a ton of books and find something you'd like.

So when I saw that giant banner for National Bookstore's sale at Market! Market! I swore I'd drop by before the sale ends. I never had a technique or a preferred day when I'd go. To me it doesn't really make a difference if I go once the sale starts or a day before it ends, I think it all depends on what you'll find when you go and how well you look for a book you'd like.

I dropped by today at National Bookstore Market! Market! branch and found some treats*! I almost hyperventilated when the first table had books up to 50% off! I immediately checked and off the top of my head, the books on sale worth mentioning on that table were:

Sphinx's Princess (Sphinx's Princess #1) by Esther M. Friesner
Invisible I (The Amanda Project #1) by Stella Lennon
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Meridian by Amber Kizer
Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

All of the books mentioned are hardcovers.
Another table with 40% off have these books:

Firebirds Soaring (Various authors)
Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brenan
13 to Life by Shannon Delany
Reckless by Cornelia Funke


Less than 300 pesos:

Revelations (Blue Bloods #3) by Melissa Dela Cruz
Royal Blood (Vampire Kisses, #6) by Ellen Schreiber

But what really got me were the books I found in a table labeled "Sale". All of the books there were hardcovers and everything was priced 100 php or less. So curious me took time to check the books and I found some goodies like:

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Lost Queen (Faerie Path #2) by Frewin Jones
Everwild (Skinjacker, #2) by Neal Shusterman
Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

I wanted to get all four, but The Lost Queen and Everwild are sequels in a series, and I don't want to get books out of order. And just when I was about to leave (I decided to buy Life As We Knew it and Voices of Dragons) I spotted these books:

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Of course I had to pick up Marchetta's book. I haven't read any of her books but based from my fellow Filipino bloggers reactions and recommendations, Marchetta writes great novels, and I knew I had to read it (plus I am getting the sequel for the book for review) so I figured I should buy it.

Can you believe it? 3 books I want to read for 297 php! Normally these would cost me around a thousand pesos for all three, so it really is a great find! All three books are in great condition, almost new, with very minimal bends and scratches.

So fellow bloggers! Have you guys been on sale this week? What great finds did you get? I'll be dropping by National Book Store CyberOne tomorrow and see what books they have on sale. According to Precious, all import books currently have 20% discount, so buy books to your heart's content :)

*Note: The books I have listed might not be available on the National bookstore branch near you.