National Book Store and Powerbooks (its sister company) will be giving away 6 bags from Parker.

In their respective Facebook pages, they posted the following details:

Win one of six bags from Parker just by answering this question: “What book do you want to receive most this Christmas?”

To join the contest:
1. Facebook - Go to “Christmas Wishlist” tab (located in the menu below the profile picture) and submit your entry by providing the following details:
a. Nameb. Email Addressc. Mobile Phoned. City of Residencee. Answer to the question: What book do you want to receive most this Christmas?
2. Twitter - Tweet this message to as many Twitter followers as you can: @(Friend’s Twitter name) I want to win a #ParkerBag @PowerbooksStore #PBcontest. Your number of entries will depend on the number of friends you tag in your tweets. The more tweets you have, the bigger chances of winning.
3. This contest will run from December 15 to 21, 2011.
4. Six (6) winners will be drawn: 2 winners of a Parker Traveler Backpack (P3,800), 2 winners of a Parker Messenger Bag (P2,500) and 2 winners of a Parker Traveler Shoulder Bag (P2,000).
5. The winners will be notified via email with instructions on how to claim the prize on December 22. It will also be announced in our Facebook page.

When I saw this post in FB, my initial reaction was: "Easy peasy". I'm currently making my own reading list for 2012-I could just choose one from my list. But then, I got to step 2.

Tweet. Must I? Do I have to? I'm not exactly a fan of Twitter (although I have an account that's linked to my   Facebook page). I bowed out of the contest before I even submitted an entry. I've gotten lazy :(

But hey, to those who are active in Twitter, why don't you give this contest a try?

Good luck!

It's that time of the year again when bazaars are everywhere. Not to be outdone, National Book Store (or NBS as I fondly call it) has its own book bazaar. From November 30 to December 11, book lovers would want to visit the Playzone area in Market!Market! (Taguig) to hunt for bargain books.

I went there last Saturday and was happy to see that there are lots of books on sale. I was tempted to pick up several books (well, I actually did that) - a Robert Harris book, for instance. Good thing I was able to remember the promise I made to myself - I will not buy a book until 80% of my books were sold. Believe me, it's not easy especially when you learn that the price is less than 200. But I digress...

If you have time folks, check this out. You might be able to find affordable gifts for your loved ones (and yourself!). Happy hunting!

When I learned that National Book Store (NBS) is organizing an event where fans will have a chance to meet Lauren Kate in person, I immediately said to myself I have to be there. Never mind that Fallen and Torment fall under the Teen Romance genre. Never mind that I might have to brave a throng of perky/bubbly/giggling teenagers to just for a chance to meet a foreign author.

When it was announced in their FB page that only the first 50 to register will receive a book signing pass, I made sure I went there early. Registration starts at 4PM, so I was there around 2:30. There were already a few teens sitting near the registration, but since I thought I might look out of place, I decided to tour the mall.

I grabbed a quick bite. Guess where?

By 3PM, I began to worry I might get a signing pass, so I went back to the atrium. I tried to get information from the ladies manning the Registration table. I think I had asked quite a lot, it's a good thing that one of them ushered me to the area where the "early birds" were sitting. Good, I get to sit down while I wait. Since there's a couple of hours before the start of the event, I started to read Torment. A few minutes later, someone distributed donuts. Cool!

The event started around 30 minutes past 5. I've already finished reading the book and is getting a bit drowsy.  I would have dozed off if not for the appearance of two men dressed as angels. To the fans, it's obvious that they were there to represent Daniel and Cam, the fallen ones who fell for Lucinda Price. Daniel is the fallen who chose the good side. Cam, on the other hand is a demon. Although Daniel is Lucinda's soul mate, most readers seem to favor Cam. Girls always seem to prefer the bad boys.

Who you want to be with? Cam or Daniel?

There was a quick introduction of Lauren Kate. It was also mentioned that it is actually Ms. Kate's first time in Asia. Her husband is with her. During the Q&A she revealed that Cam was loosely based on her husband. Awww, so sweet. She gave some hints on the upcoming book in the series (Passion) as well as the final installment, Rapture. She read a chapter (the prologue) from Torment.

When it was announced that book signing will begin, there was slight commotion. Thankfully, the lucky 50 were given numbers. I think I waited for around 30 minutes, but it was worth it. Among other things, I told her I was relieved she mentioned that the age range of the fans of the series is from 11-65. I felt like kicking myself when I asked if she's already tired. I'm sure used to this. But, really what do you say to an author while she's signing  your book?

Since she will be signing a lot of books, I had expected just a signature. The fangirl in me was elated to find out a few extra words.

And of course, being an early bird has its perks. I went home with a freebie- a couple of bookmarks and a t-shirt! Thank you National Book Store. Keep 'em coming! :)

It's that time of the year again! I missed this one last year, but I'll definitely make sure to visit National Book Store at Glorietta 5 tonight. This has the widest book selection so far within the Glorietta-Greenbelt area in Makati. Good thing I still have the GCs that my colleagues have given me :)

National Book Store's CUT PRICE book sale is back! Up to 75% off on books!
So hurry! Don't miss the CUT PRICE book sale at all National Book Store branches from July 30 to August 22. 


To look for National Book Store branches nationwide, click here.