Fun Times at the MIBF 2015

Where did the weekend go?

But seriously, I had an awesome weekend attending the 36th Manila International Book Fair. Most of my friends were there on the first day, and I had to sit through endless tweets about how awesome the place was with few attendees and spacious hallways. But when the weekend came, I was raring to go. I arrived early at the venue and was surprised to find a long line as early as 8am. Good thing it was the queue for the international authors' book signings, so I was able to get inside without having to wait that long. 

Saturday was the busiest day for me at the book fair as I took it upon myself to be quick and shop for the books I already planned to get. It was good thinking because when Sunday came, it was hard to navigate around the hall with so many people jostling for space as they browsed and lined up at the cashier. Sunday was more laid back, and thankfully I was able to curb my impulse to buy more books. 

Here are a few photos documenting my awesome MIBF experience:

Stacks of Soul Books at the Bookmark booth.
It looks like they had a lot of copies as they replenished as soon as the pile was depleted.

Buqo's booth
I donated over 10 books that will go to local libraries, thanks to Buqo's A Book for an eBook project.

I've been looking for you since forever! Come to mama!

OMG this book is HUGE, both in size and price. Haha! But yes, I caved. This is a rare sighting so I just closed my eyes and paid for it, along with the Pacific Rim coffee table book. It still hasn't sunk in that I spent too much money. But my fangirl heart is happy.

Had a pictorial with fellow #buqoYA and #StrangeLit authors, along with the Buqo staff.

I didn't catch Edgar Samar when he was at the MIBF on Wednesday and Saturday, so I went back on Sunday just for the Janus Silang book signing. THE LINE WAS INSANE. The man is a rockstar. 

Photo from Hazel Caasi
My reaction after finally making it to the finish line to get my book signed

I had to take an obligatory photo of my #romanceclass classmates' masterpieces. So proud of these guys!

Met Ida from OMF Lit who graciously gave me the opportunity to review one of their titles, The Secret Story of Shy Shelly.

Damage report! These books were heavy to lug around.

This was probably the most fun MIBF year, the most tiring, and most damaging to my wallet. Haha! But the experience of hanging out with fellow writers, book hunting, and lining up for signings still gave me the major feels. Hopefully next year would be just as fun!