Books Archives | Oh My Janey

September Book Haul

October 2, 2014

September is the happiest month for bookworms.

First, the Manila International Book Fair is held annually in the first Ber month. And second, bookstores tend to have sales during this period as well. For example, Powerbooks had a sale a week before the MIBF, and National Bookstore offered discounts on the same week of MIBF.

You guess it right, I went on a book shopping spree last month. Heh heh. This is the second time this year that I splurged on books! I try to only hoard books once a year and saved all the splurging on September for the book fair period. But the unprecedented National Bookstore Warehouse Sale caught me off guard and there I was hoarding more books than I could read in a lifetime.

Anyhoo, I went to a lot of book sales last month. I am a happy banana. [Read more…]

NBS Warehouse Sale Book Haul

July 15, 2014

It’s been more than a year since my last book haul, so I went a bit crazy when National Bookstore had a Warehouse Sale. I admit I haven’t been reading much for the past two years but I really plan to read more this year! Gone are the days when I spent every payday at a book sale. So when given the chance to hoard books for a very low price, I became rabid and ended up bringing home two big paper bags of fiction and non-fiction books that’ll take me years to finish. Hehe.

Due to the amount of incredulous stares I got from the lady at the counter and my sister who saw me carrying my paperbacks, I think I have a bit of explaining to do. It’s ridiculously cheap! Even though I went during the last day of the warehouse sale in SM San Pablo, I still managed to buy tons. I made a rule not to buy any book priced for more than 50PHP and managed to buy about 30 books. Hehehe. I’m so happy with my purchase, and I really think it’s worth it. I mean, a Roald Dahl book for 10PHP? Hell yeaaaah. [Read more…]

February Books: In Which I Didn’t Read Much

March 9, 2014

In the movie About Time, a time traveler confesses that he uses his power for reading. When he suddenly has so much time in his hands, he opts to read books. If I also had such power, I’ll probably do the same. I seem to have not enough time to read lately. And February was a testament that I’m a slow-reader, and probably a “busy” person who procrastinates.

I only read two books last month, and it was a s t r u g g l e to finish them. To think that one is a Roald Dahl book that I can finish in one sitting, it actually took me weeks. So I’m either really busy or just really distracted. I think it’s the latter mostly because of this ~~crybaby~~ namja. I promise to do better this month! I try to squeeze in at least 30 minutes of reading everyday. Heh. Probably not enough but hopefully it gets me somewhere on my 52 books challenge! [Read more…]

January Books: Forever Young Reading List

February 6, 2014

This is my 4th attempt to accomplish the 52 Books in a year challenge. The only time I actually achieved that was back in 2011, but I got too lazy to keep on writing reviews. By September, I was only reading and no longer writing. But hopefully, I can continue writing book commentaries for my 2014 Book Challenge! Trying to fit reading in my schedule is becoming quite difficult, but hopefully I’ll manage. So excuse me if I’ll pass off comics and graphic novels as books from time to time. Hee.

It’s no secret that I love children’s lit and young adult. So this January, I ended up reading three young adult novels and two Roald Dahl ones! Woohoo. I can’t say that I’ve reached my quota of young-ish books, because there’s a stack of unread Roald Dahl books sitting next to my bed. Hehe. [Read more…]

Samtoy Books

September 3, 2013

During our stay in Laoag, we had a quick stop at Samtoy Books. It’s located at the second floor of La Tabacalera Lifestyle Center just above Johnny Moon Café, so it’s pretty easy to spot. I really planned to visit the place because I heard that they have a pretty good collection of Filipino literature, and they sure did! They also have tons of secondhand books.

What caught my attention is their little reading corner where visitors can stay and just read any of the books in the place for just 5PHP per hour. That’s quite a bargain! If I were from Laoag, I’d probably spend most of my weekends there.

From the way Gee, the clerk, interacted with us, it’s obvious how they really try to connect with their customers. They really give an impression that they’re here not just to sell books, but to engage customers in reading. They have a little wishlist board where visitors can leave requests on books they want to see in the shelves. It’s just like Booksale but with a lot more creative touch to it.

Samtoy Books has that laid-back atmosphere that will entice any book reader. Just running my hands through the books stacked on tables make me want to pick one and huddle in a couch. All of a sudden, I have a dream business.

I may have left Samtoy with no book in hand, but I assure you, I left with so many ideas. I didn’t realize that I was actually looking for such a bookstore. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cozy little bookstore where you can stay all day just reading? A bookstore with a little café inside will be perfect! Before I’d been to this bookstore, I didn’t realize that I’ve been dreaming of such bookstore! It may not be the business that will make me a millionaire, but I’d love to have such store. That’ll be amazing. Just reading all day and interacting with people who love the same things I do: books and coffee.

Anyway, if you’re in Laoag, make sure to drop by Laoag. It’s at the heart of the plaza, and it’ll be a shame if you’ll miss it.

Samtoy Books
2nd Floor La tabacalera Ilocano Lifestyle Center
beside Museo Ilocos Norte
www.facebook.com/SamtoyBooks