Filipino Fridays #3 Good Omens for Reading: The Pinoy Book Drop 2013

Good Omens left at a company pantry

Qs: First, kindly detail all the books that you have dropped, and where and when you dropped them.
– Next: tell us all about your experience. How did you feel before and after you dropped the books? How did you choose the places where you dropped them? Did you check back and see if the books were still there? Do you have any idea who might have found them?

Okay, I was a bit delinquent here. My book drop happened exactly today. The book I chose was Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I was a bit reluctant to let it go. It's quite dogeared from use. I dropped it off at a company pantry after lunch so I expect that it will be discovered by the merienda crowd. I already told the janitor not to put it away but to leave it where it was (conspicuously displayed on one of the tables).  No takers yet. I left a number for the book adopter to text in case the book was already picked up. So far, no text.

How did I feel? I felt anxious for my book. I wanted someone cool to be the one to pick it up. That book was really fun and it's by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett! I was also afraid that because I left it at a media company's pantry (I chose this venue more out of convenience than anything!)....it might be that most of the people there already read Good Omens. Hmmmm. I hope at least one of them hasn't read it and would appreciate randomly finding the book during merienda. Or maybe I'm just overthinking this. I'll probably update this blog post later on for an update on where the book went.

Since I was delinquent...I'll just go ahead and answer the second set of questions, anyway, for those who didn't do the book drop.

Image from npr.org. 

Qs: Tell us about your most memorable or favorite book hunting experience. Have you ever found a book in a most unexpected place? If you find a dropped book somewhere, what would you do with it? Where do you get your books nowadays? Do you still go to bookstores, or do you buy/order books online?

Image from goodreads.com.

My favorite book hunting experience happened in City Lights bookstore, San Francisco. It was there where I found several books by Jane Hirshfield. I hardly see her books here in Manila and it was such a wonderful experience to find her books: Given Sugar, Given Salt and The October Palace.

I've never just found a book lying around, though. If I found one, I'd check the title and keep it if I liked it. Sorry, finders keepers. Hahaha!

Nowadays, I get my books online if I can't wait to buy the physical book (I did this with Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin, I didn't bother waiting for the book in the bookstores, I just went ahead and bought it online after getting thwarted by several out-of-stock experiences). When I happen to be in Fully Booked, I always end up picking up a book (example: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I heard a good review from a friend and when I saw it at the bookstore I just bought it). However, most of my serendipitous discoveries happen in second hand bookstores. I have such fun looking for books there. I almost always never leave without a book in my bag.

All in all, I hope my participation in the book drop is a good omen for more reading in the Philippines...well, at least in my building!

So, if you're a fellow reader...come to the Filipino Reader Con happening on November 9, 2013 at the Rizal Library in Ateneo de Manila.