I haven’t missed a single book fair since I was 8. The event used to be held at Megamall’s Mega Trade Hall (both A and B. there were so many participants that they couldn’t fit everybody in just one trade hall). Then they moved the event into an even bigger venue, World Trade Center in Pasay. Then the participants dwindled in number. They moved to SMX at the SM Mall Of Asia last year. At first, I thought, “Waw ang shala.” The place did look fancy compared to WTC (although WTC is still home for kick ass conventions and bazaars for me), but it meant that the Book Fair was much smaller (or at least it did to me. WTC still “sounds” bigger than SMX.). And right, I was.

This year was even smaller than last year’s book fair. It used to be that the big name players were Goodwill, Bookmark, National Bookstore, Powerbooks and even Fully Booked. Fully Booked stopped joining in on the fun ever since their huge ass building opened in High Street (I still maintain that that bookstore reminds me too much of F.O.X. Books – a cookie for you if you can guess the movie reference.). This year though was the biggest shock of all. Cue in Beethoven’s Symphony number 5.

Powerbooks was nowhere to be found. And so was Bookmark (an institution in Book Fair). And Goodwill’s booth has considerably gotten small. They used to own the place up until last year. They had one of the biggest spaces and had loads of cheap good books. But now… we almost walked past it.

The place was packed with booths that sold medical books and religious books. There were even booths selling computer services, if not computers. WHERE WERE THE GOOD BOOKS???

Apparently they were all at Fully Booked/Powerbooks who are now too good for Book Fair.

My heart just cried.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t manage to spend nearly all my money and come home with quite the good haul.

Took home the following:

• Volume 1 to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Series (Preludes and Nocturnes)
• Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
• Slam by Nick Hornby
• The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (which I got for P130 for the win!)
• And 2 back issues of National Geographic Magazine (one was from the 70s the other was from 89)

And also took home this baby:

I wonder what the next Book Fair will be like. Baka naman wala na libro dun?