look what i got!

Lots of people have been asking me how much “damage” was made on my budget during the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in Cebu last July 12 and 13. But instead of telling you that, I’d show you the “what were bought.” That’s more interesting, right? (Let’s just say the amount I paid could only buy five or six hardbound books if I were in a regular bookstore.)

Weeks earlier, before I went to the sale, I already made a list of authors and titles (based on NYTimes and LA Times book reviews) that I’d want to see in my cart. Most of these are from and by People of Color (PoC), and I was glad I made that list. It made my hunt easier. At the venue, I was also searching for books my favorite writers: Jhumpa Lahiri, Ocean Vuong, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Wislawa Szymborska, Ada Limon, etc. Sadly, their works were either unavailable in the book sale or I already got of copy of what was on sale.

But all in all I am happy. I haven’t ripped open the packaging yet, because I have made a decision to finish first the three books I am currently reading: Joan Didion’s memoir The Year of Magical Thinking (which I have finished just yesterday!), Shalom Auslander’s short fiction collection Beware of God, and Amy Hempel’s short fiction collection At The Gates of the Animal Kingdom. I am just a few pages away from finishing the last two books. When I am done with these, I’d open three new books. Just like they’re fresh from the bookstore. I am romantic that way.

Not all books I’ve purchased are shown here, in this picture, because I’d be giving them away as gifts to my family this December 2018. Para surprise. Advanced ako magisip.

Here are the books I got:
1. A Field Guide to Reality, novel by Joanna Kavenna
2. Love + Hate, stories and essay by Hanif Kureishi
3. Station Eleven, novel by Emily St. John Mandel
4. Lola Quartet, novel by Emily St. John Mandel
5. The Singer’s Gun, novel by Emily St. John Mandel
6. Ode to Childhood, poetry collection to celebrate the child
7. Life: Great Short Stories by Women, edited by Victoria Hislop
8. Loss: Great Short Stories by Women, edited by Victoria Hislop
9. Love: Great Short Stories by Women, edited by Victoria Hislop
10. Sing, Unburied, Sing, novel by Jesmyn Ward
11. I Am An Executioner: Love Stories, short fiction collection by Rajesh Parameswaran
12. Karma and Other Stories, short fiction collection by Rishi Reddi
13. The Sellout, novel by Paul Beatty
14. To The Moon: An Anthology of Lunar Poems, edited by Carol Ann Duffy
15. The Evolution of Everything, nonfiction by Matt Ridley
16. Love Your Enemies, short fiction collection by Nicola Barker
17. Heading Inland, short fiction collection by Nicola Barker
18. Eveningland, short fiction collection by Michael Knight
19. Mr. Bones: 20 Stories, short fiction collection by Paul Theroux
20. Arcadia, novel by Lauren Groff
21. The Japanese Lover, novel by Isabel Allende
22. We Need New Names, novel by NoViolet Bulawayo
23. Jesus’ Son, short fiction collection by Denis Johnson
24. 600 Decorating Tips & Finishing Touches
25. An Anthology of Flowers
26. Spice: Layers of Flavour by Dhruv Baker
27. Living Art: Style Your Home With Flowers by Olivier Guigni
28. How to Look After Your Kitten by Helen Piers (a must have!)