NBS Haul: Exploring Different Genres and Author Writing Styles

I went on a business trip last month and was really pushing to drop by any National Bookstore (NBS) branch to check out. As you can see, I have an assortment of paperback copies from my last NBS visit. I only got to visit an NBS branch on the very last day of my trip and found another NBS branch at NAIA Terminal III (which only got to affirm the theory that the Kobo is tempting me).

So, after a busy month, I dearly hope that I could go back to writing more about books, reviews and just blogging more basically. More about my haul, there’s a mixture of authors and genre in there, I confess that I just pulled them off the shelves due to lack of “quality time” with the book store and more books. 

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen by Paul Torday- I’ve seen only a scene from the movie on HBO, and this copy has a movie tie-in cover, and how I wish I got the copy that has the original artwork like the one below. I’m not that fond of buying copies with movie tie-in covers. I haven’t started reading it yet, and have no idea what the style is. It’s still sealed as of this post, but if you want me to write a review about it you can let me know. 

150 Style Essentials For Every Girl by Tricia Gosingtian- Tricia G shows any girl how to style the most basic and available pieces out there, complete with sections on accessories, makeup and blogging tips, making this a good primer for anyone thinking of starting with fashion. If you’re someone who is looking into acquiring the essentials for your wardrobe, this is a welcome companion for mixing up style for both fashion and beauty.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice writing as A.N. Roquelaure- I’ve been wanting to read about this for a long time now. I have to say, Anne Rice deviates from her vampire writing style over here, but this is just too delicious (in an erotica way), very different from the other soft-paranormal erotica that I have encountered from Laura Esquivel. Oh and this is only the first part of a trilogy so I have to think really hard if I want to continue reading onto the second and third parts.

That’s about it for the book haul, thank goodness for business trips and NBS so I can look at my wallet empty of cash and wait for the next chance to get lost in book stores again. If you want me to review (or giveaway) any of these, drop me a hint? 

Raisie Speaks: 5 Tips to Scoring Affordable Reads And Saving Money Along The Way

You work hard for your money. Can you recall how many hours you put your effort into just to get the latest payslip? So even if you love books, you can still save money with these tips and still be a happy bibliophile who knows how to have good old fashioned entertainment at home or in any quiet corner-reading.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
The Book Depository

1 Buy Used Books or Swap!

Brand new books cost anywhere from Php 300-500 for Paperback and Php 400-800 for Hardbound copies, and you can always hear me complaining about new releases and their respective prices. If you could control yourself and look around your home for other books you have not read, you can wait for a month after and check out eBay or some friends who have finished reading the title you have been pining after and offer to buy the book for a lesser cost. Some bazaars will have secondhand books on sale that are also in great condition so you should set aside a budget for the next one in town. 

Swapping is also a good choice, all you have to do is ask a friend whom you know has the genre that you like or a specific title or author that you have not read yet, then you can arrange for a swap to take place without having to worry about your monthly budget for books. 

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

2 Borrow From A Friend Or The Library

All it takes is a phone call, text, Facebook message, Tweet or even your library card and a list of titles you have not read. Take the first step and you can have a couple of new books that you can start reading. Hey, if you "borrowed" that from ADZU library, return it at the end of the semester! Other students would want to read it too, okay?

The Darwin Myth by Dr Benjamin Wiker
God's Gold by Sean Kingsley

3 Invest In An Ebook Reader

Most e-book readers these days range anywhere from Php 6,000 -12,000. Even if it is tight for you right now, you can save a chunk of your bonus and stow away a little every month until you have saved enough. This way, you can easily download e-books and save them in your reader's storage. Most of the time, e-books are free. Be sure to select one that won't strain your eyes. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

 4 Collect Only Authors That You Really Like

What's the use of having a huge collection of books and only read and just appreciate a few authors? You just might as well be throwing away your money. Yes, you can't avoid those times when you bought a book and thought that the author was promising only to realize that the writing style was childish and the story plot was off-but you can resell it, and learn to look keep away from that book altogether. Keeping only authors that you really like showcases your true bookworm's preferences and the collection can be called truly yours. No matter what genre it is, it's your time and money spent, isn't it?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

5 Or Join A Giveaway

It still saves you money, doesn't it? Alright, no more questions asked . Head on here. 

How about you? How do you save money while looking for books? Is there anything that you do uniquely? Let me know in the comments below!

This Ambition Would Work Only If...

I'm letting you in on one of my crazy childish ambitions.

I had this crazy childhood dream about being a proud owner of a bookstore. Nothing big, just a cozy bookstore, the ones where it occupies a country living room, or the old, quaint ones like in Notting Hill (1999) called the Travel Bookshop where Julia Roberts steps in to meet Hugh Grant, or the little book nook like in Before Sunset (2004) where Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke meet again.

The Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill, London

Yeah, this is similar to what I had in mind 

Shakespeare and Company in Paris

Inside Shakespeare and Company, curious which titles they carry

And my book shop would have tons of books on the floor, postcards and crazy bookmarks and all sorts of shenanigans, even outdated newspapers if it made any history at all. 

The bookshop of my dreams just might, just might have a flying bike somewhere

And as poor bookshop owner, I was willing to give up comfortable living just to be able to sell some more books and read books

You see, all was going well and fine, for me to have the bookshop of my dreams. As I've said, it's a childhood dream. All was going good, and I even had ambitions of more ladders leaning against more bookshelves reaching the ceilings to store some books, or even a cottage just to house some books, so yeah, you get the idea.

I repeat, all was going well and fine until those expensive e-book readers came along and made owning a library portable. I can't blame them. E-books help save the environment by saving the sheets of paper to be used and printed upon. And saves ink too. So you see my problem? I can't compete with being a book shop owner (even if it still all remains an ambition), when more and more people gravitate towards e-books these days which is even lighter compared to a hardbound book.

Do what you want with your e-book reader

And take it anywhere you want, read anywhere you want

But I feel defeated, armed with my childhood dream and fear for the future where everything these days is better on screen, I might be lucky to be able to sell novels for Php2 each as paperweights.

So yeah, I need another ambition. I thought of bookmark crafter, but who would even buy bookmarks from me thirty or forty years from now? Boohoo!

On second thought, I feel like being a book shop owner would put me out of business anyway since I would be hesitant to part from books acquired.

See what it takes to kill a childhood dream?


Got a better childhood ambition? Share them with me! =)