After a few calls and texts, I was able to confirm that Fully Booked is open until 12:00 AM. I made it there an hour before closing time.
Last Friday, I had a wishful thinking. That bookstores were open 24/7 like convenience stores and watering holes, so that anyone could easily satisfy sudden cravings for the smell of books in the middle of the night the same way MiniStop and 711 have faithfully satisfied our after-midnight instant fixations. Such is what happened to me last Friday. I thought I’d prefer to stay in after a long tiring day doing work errands, but sometime past 11:00PM, my Friday night sickness kicked in and I knew I had to go out and find.. a book store.
And there it was, the highlight of my week, my 45-minutes of solitude away from life. That short moment when nothing — not the deadlines, bills, thedreamerie stuff, my boss, that pile of unwashed dishes by the sink back in the condo — is as important as wandering aimlessly through rows and rows of non-existent characters and made-up worlds.
Took a Jane Austen book from the classics section, held it for a few minutes, made a quick decision whether to purchase it or not, then placed it back in the shelf. Went past the Shopaholics series and did just that — went past it. Went past the new titles by Cecilia Ahern, too, and wondered how come she’s still writing books after what I thought was a failed first attempt. And so is that Lauren Weisberger woman. I think Ahern and Weisberger should shift their careers to movie script writing. P.S. I Love You and The Devil Wears Prada were better off in the big screen than in 3-inch think novels.
Found a stack of Sidney Sheldon titles and lingered for a moment, smiling as I remembered those days in high school when my classmates would trade Sheldon books with each other, read them during class under the desks, and discuss them during breaks with a passion. Found Nicholas Sparks’ section, and, embarrassed as I am to admit, got a copy of The Wedding and A Walk to Remember, two titles I’ve already read a couple of times in my younger years but I thought would come handy when I want to read without thinking too much.
Stepped in the Murakami turf and thought I’d give the Japanese author another chance, after my failure at reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. The thought of the missing cat made my head spin, I stopped reading at Chapter 3. Thanks to Joni‘s expert advise via text, I was able to confirm my decision on which Murakami title to buy. The one with the least number of pages, please, thankyouverymuch. But hey, like I said, I’m giving Murakami another try.
Paulo Coelho was my last stop, I ended up taking 3 titles in hopes of having his artistic prowess rub in on me. I’m so excited to read Veronika Decides to Die. I feel like I have a lot of things in common with that woman.
So with all my Friday night picks — 6 books plus a couple of cutesy pens, a leather book cover, and a notebook I don’t really need but couldn’t resist putting in my basket — I went to the counter with the smile of a little girl who just got out of a candy store. Warning to my readers: don’t do this if you don’t have a Fully Booked discount card. If anything, the few hundred pesos off your bill will at least make you feel less guilty.
I went home to my bucket of Maltesers and read the night away.
I don’t mean to bore you with how I spent my lousy Friday night. I just thought an almost-perfect 45minutes doesn’t happen everyday, I might as well blog about it.
Hi. How are you? :)
I loove this entry! Adik din ako sa bookstores and places where you could buy books! Pinapatos ko kahit mahal or yung mga sa tabi-tabi lang na garage sales (pero di ako bumibili sa mahal, dahil books from Booksale lang ang kaya ng budget ko haha–except for the occasional birthday/Xmas splurges, haha).
Anyway, I especially love Fully Booked, because of the homey ambience (Plus they don’t have no sitting here signs) so I could very well plop myself on the floor, or even lie down if I feel like it. :)
The very first question I ask when entering a bookstore: What time po kayo nagsasara? This is the deciding factor, on whether to leisurely browse or scout for coveted titles asap! :)
-drea
rainbowunicorn_reads.dreamwidth.org
i’ve been book hoarding too, not just in FullyBooked at 11:00PM. hehe. ours here closes by 10, i think. it’s in the mall but in the terraces area where most establishments close by 12. it’s funny i never really bothered to check their mall hours. anyway, i’ve been buying books from booksale lately because of their well, sale. but i got 3 emily giffin books from fully booked when they had a 20%- off-on-everything sale.
out of all lauren weisberger’s books, i only liked the devil wears prada. chasing harry winston is kinda so-so. for me ha. hehehe.
hahaha!! Book hoarding! Haven’t done that in a while. Tell me your recommendations ha :)
I was about to say na you’re not anything like Veronika naman ah, pero I was thinking of Coelho’s “Eleven Minutes” pala. haha.
Let’s see how you react to Murakami’s “South of the Border, West of the Sun”. The Jap guy has one more chance to prove his worth! Heehee!
naalala ko jon, nasimulan ko na palang basahin ung 11 minutes but didnt get to finish it because it’s someone else’s copy. Sayo nga ata yon? Hehe.
I haven’t made you kwento (eww im so konyo) abt my gullible experience getting the Fully Booked discount card!
HAHA! you fell for it!! i didn’t when they offered me. kasi nmn parang dapat yata 10K worth of books pa ang mabibili ko before i can make any use out of it. tama ba? lol. kwento! :)
Hmm.. I don’t remember kung may copy ako ng Eleven Minutes.. Baka wala, I don’t think that’s mine. Nanghiram lang yata ako before :)
It’s more like, you need accumulated receipts worth 15K, or one single receipt/purchase amounting to 10k, OR just pay P700 if you want to get it outright.
LOL. I paid P700. :))
Now I have to start buying more books so I can justify burning P700 on a piece of plastic card. :-s
I can so much relate to that Riz. My Friday nights are for “losers” (except when I have Joni to watch a movie with), but most of the time I get locked up in my place devouring a book or two. Good thing you noted down Fully Booked is up until 12am – that’s a relief for the lonely Friday night regular.
Apir tayo jan friend. But yaikes, this coming Friday night is surely going to be spent cramming fot the talk on Saturday haha. May utang pako sayong Powerpoint presentation! :D
As for Fully Booked, only the ones outside the malls are open til 12midnyt. I.e. the ones in BHS and Shangrila. The ones insyd the malls, of course, close when the mall closes. ;)
I actually enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada in book form :) I think it’s an alternative way of writing chic literature. The movie is a different thing though, but I enjoyed it equally as the book.
As for Murakami, did you get his short story compilation book? :) I like After the Quake best.
Hi Mara! She got Murakami’s “South of the Border, West of the Sun” – what do you think of this? I’m worried I recommended the wrong Murakami book to start with. Lol.
@riz – na-pressure ako, friend. hahaha!!
HI Joni! I’ve only read his short story compilations (The Elephant Vanishes and After the Quake), Dance Dance Dance, and Kafka on the Shore. I started with Dance Dance Dance (second of a series pa sya, so medyo fail ako. Haha), but I really like Murakami’s non-plot writing style so I kept reading:)
Aww, sorry, I judged Weisberger based on Chasing Harry Winston, it’s awful of me to generalize. I should probably try reading TDWP the book version. :)
The book’s not too different from the movie though :)