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One day to go: Manila International Book Fair!

I can’t believe it’s only one more day til the 33rd Manila International Book Fair!

The MIBF has been a permanent fixture in my calendar for the past seven years, but my first MIBF was actually way back in 1993. I was in third grade on a field trip with the Reading Club (and I just realized, that was the first book club I ever joined!), and I was in awe — I had never seen so many books all in one place! With fellow bookworms from the Reading Club, I went from booth to booth, figuring out what to buy with a couple of weeks’ worth of allowance. And when our money run out, we made the rounds once more, this time to chase down the mascots, listen to a story or two, watch cartoons, and of course, to take note of books we wanted our parents to buy for us, when we begged them to go back to the book fair as soon as we got home.

I lugged home a bag of books (see, book hoarder at age 8), which included — wait for it –Sweet Valley Kids #6: Lila’s Secret and The Babysitters’ Little Sister #23: Karen’s Doll!

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On Reader’s Digest

I’m not really one to read periodicals, but there’s one magazine I’ve been reading for years — Reader’s Digest.

I was introduced to Reader’s Digest in third grade, because my dad had a subscription to Reader’s Digest. In fact, one of my fondest memories of my dad is related to the magazine: every time we got a new issue, we would tear into the plastic and go straight to the Word Power section, and he’d rattle off the new vocabulary words to test me on the month’s vocabulary items.

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A rough guide to the Manila International Book Fair

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Three days to go until the Manila International Book Fair! A lot of people have been asking me for tips about the Manila International Book Fair, so I decided to create this (unofficial) guide based on what I’ve seen over recent years.

I’ve been attending the MIBF for five years running now, covering events, shopping, and just generally enjoying the flurry of bookish activity around me. And every year, the exhibitors offer something new, and there is always a different lineup of special events to look forward to.

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