jari m

Big Bad Wolf Books 2023 (A Reprise)

I first visited #BBWBooksPH back in 2019. One pandemic and a working woman’s salary later, here we are again!

(Figuratively. The book sale is set inside the PICC Forum Tent this time, instead of the Trade Centre.)

Read: Big Bad Wolf Book Sale 2019, Quick Review

Maze of “Lucky Finds”. Most of the books were helpfully arranged into big sections such as “Literature”, “Science Fiction”, and “Biography”, but hundreds and thousands more were arranged as lottery-esque displays. To the diligent (and resistant to neck pain and eye strain) go the spoils.
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New Highlights

  • Music! Local artists perform live from a small stage, providing a chill book-cruising soundtrack.
  • There are also more food stalls this time around, with the likes of Potato Corner (irresistible), Gong Cha, CBTL, and more.
  • I spent thrice the amount I spent in 2019, which is a good thing. Maybe. My mental health, at least, was temporarily buoyed by the rush of book-shopping in the name of “personal development”.
Play on. The relaxing music distracts you from the fact that you are essentially browsing a thousand and more books along with dozens of other people. It’s a vibe.
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Notes for the Book Lover

  • Unlike previous years, this year’s BBWBooks does not run the whole day or 24/7. The doors close at 1AM.
  • I’m afraid there are still no books featuring poetry, and the graphic novel section is poorly stocked. Many of my favorite self-development go-tos (Ikigai, The Daily Stoic) were also not in attendance. My heart despairs.
  • My sense of money has skewed, so the discounts may or may not be as good as last time. Some of the books I bought had discounts as low as fifty pesos ($1). “95% off” where?
My Book Haul! My challenge this July (as my schedule is relatively free) is to actually go through many of them, while also finishing my planting and painting side projects.
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Book Mini-Haul Presents…

  • Oliver Sacks’ Awakenings – Bought in the hopes that I would finally be inspired to finish my copy of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. This is somehow logical.
  • Paul Strathern’s A Brief History of Medicine, because it’s important to play into stereotypes. And also nothing gets me going more than a well-written, well-researched historical and scientific book. Great expectations, I know.
  • Michael Scott’s The Flower Garden: The Book That Transforms into a Work of Art – Hooked by the words “flower” and “art” both, though this barely carried any discount. Ouch, says my wallet.
  • Books meant as gifts — Mindful thoughts for Fathers, The Montessori Method – Shapes, and Ladybird Favourite Stories. Hopefully they reach their intended recipients.
  • Emiliana Kampilan’s Dead Balagtas, Tomo 1: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa – I wanted to buy at least one locally-published product, and this one stood out. After a quick search online, I saw one of the panels as an excerpt online and instantly fell in love.
  • Isaac Asimov’s The Gods Themselves – As a science fiction fan (or more precisely, a speculative fiction fan), I can’t go home without a little adventure. I’m almost always a sucker for older publications, though (call me boring). Isaac Asimov is always a treat and belongs firmly in my literary comfort zone.

Be a little spontaneous. Catch the last few hours of Big Bad Wolf Books Philippines tonight! Maybe you’ll be luckier than me and get a bit more of the 95% off books.

(Alternatively, see you at the Manila International Book Fair this Sept 14 to 17 2023 at the SMX Convention Center!)

Until next time! ❤️

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