Join The Pinoy Book Drop 2014

This month is National Reading Month! That's why the Filipino Reader Con is held in November and that's why there's an Aklatan (Indie Publisher Fair) and a Philippine International Literary Festival (all being held at Bayanihan Center, Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City this week).

So, what is this Pinoy Book Drop all about? The concept is simple. It's all part of sharing a reading experience with others. BTW, there's a hashtag for that, too, from DepEd (Department of Education) called #ShareABookPH.

My first book drop happened today at Starbucks, Robinsons Pioneer. The two books were: 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven, Ph.D. I got this book from a friend and I'm passing it on to others...hopefully so more people will be happy. The second book was an overeager purchase during a Scholastic sale. I bought The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes by Anne Mazer (sounds like Gone Girl's Amazing Amy, right?) together with other loot, thinking that I'd save it up for my daughter. The thing is she's three and this book might gather a lot of dust before she lays her hands on it. So, I'm giving it away for other young readers.

I hope my books find good homes.

So, c'mon and join the the fun!

These are the mechanics from the Filipino Reader Con website:

1. Pick a book (or two, or three, or yes, four!) that you wish to give away, or that’s okay for you to part with, for one reason or another. Make sure to check the pages for important stuff – anything you may have inserted there and forgotten but you may want to hold on to.

2. Download and print the customized bookplate that you’ll find below these instructions. It doesn’t have to be in color – black and white will work just as fine! Paste or stick one bookplate on a clear page or area of the book/s that you wish to give away. Yes, you can sign your name there, too, if you want.

3. Leave or “drop” the book/s in a public place, or basically any place where people are sure to see them: in a café, in the office, at a restaurant, the gym, it’s up to you. (Well, maybe not inside a bookstore, yeah.) You know where someone is likely to see the book/s and pick it up, yes?

4. Before leaving the book/s where you “dropped” them, take a photo. If you’re leaving two or more books, be sure to take note of the date, time, and place where you left each one.

So how is everyone going to know that you have dropped a book somewhere? You can do any of the following:

(a) If you have a Twitter account, just tweet the title of the book, where and when you dropped it, and attach the appropriate photo. If you dropped two or more books, tweet about each title separately.

(b) You can also post about it on Facebook – on your own profile/timeline, if it’s set to public, OR on the Filipino ReaderCon page itself. Same details apply: title of the book, place and date of the drop, and photo. If you’re dropping two or more books, you have the option to include all the books in one go or post about the books individually. It’s up to you.

IMPORTANT: Please use the hashtags #pbdrop and #filreadercon and don’t forget to tag us at @PinoyReaderCon for every tweet!

5. The actual dropping of books will take place until the Filipino ReaderCon on November 14, 2014.

6. On the other hand, if you’re one of those who are lucky enough to find a dropped book, we encourage you to tell us all about it, as well! Tweet and Facebook any dropped book that you find – same instructions on using the hashtags #pbdrop and #filreadercon and tagging us at @PinoyReaderCon apply. ;)

Click on this link to get the special bookplate from FilReaderCon that you can use with your book drop.

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.