Another Book Steal

A colleague and I were busy talking about our possible summer team building. We were surfing the net to look for resorts up north when we got really hungry. Usually we'd go to our canteen for lunch, but both of us were craving for something delectable and in the canteen, it's always a hit and miss, mostly passable but nothing extraordinary. Since we wanted Italian, we decided to hit the road to Glorietta 5 and eat at Sbarro's. It will be payday tomorrow so we were extra bold.

When we got to Glorietta 5 it was practically deserted. If I had the money and time, it would be the perfect place to shop. Summer clothes are marketed and I began to worry about my summer outfits. It's not that I want to buy something new, but I fear that my old suits will be my destruction. I doubt if I could still fit in those and not look like a human sausage. But first we just had to eat.

After grabbing a carbo-loaded lunch, we still had time to window shop. Unfortunately, we were too lazy to fit clothes and found some pieces expensive for the poor material until we were led to a boxed up section at the ground floor of the mall where National BookStore is having a "Book sale." We instantly forgot to window shop for clothes and headed to the books. I recently read in Jessica Zafra's blog about her 99 pesos finds in National Bookstore Glorietta 5, and you know me, I never shy from book purchases especially if they're on sale.

True enough the selections are hardbound and extensive. There are coffee table books, general fiction, autobiographies and self-help, majority are all for 99 bucks. The books may be used but the condition, for the price, is phenomenal. I knew then I would be spending my remaining allowance for tomorrow. In a span of 30 minutes, I found my treasures.


I already made choices before I saw a Susan Howatch book. For those who have been following my blog, I am a Susan Howatch fan. I didn't even bother to read the summary of her book The Heartbreaker. I immediately took it and guarded it with my life.

The next book I've purchased is written by Sarah Dunant. I have read one of her works, The Transgressions, and it was an interesting book. I was mildly entertained so I gave her classically based novel In the Company of a Courtesan a positive try. Besides, I'm also craving from a Classically-inspired novel.

Lastly, I bought a risk book, Sitting Practice by Caroline Adderson. I've never heard of the title nor the author, but I've read a paragraph or two to establish that certain connection. The premise of the story was enough to keep me hooked. It's a story about a husband and wife whose love completely clashed against the hard reality of tragedy. It's a story about how their relationship changes towards each other and how they would cope. The story is narrated in a witty and satirical language. It's a kind of book that might make me laugh.

After exhausting the place I realized that I ran out of cash, but I told myself not to withdraw. So, like an obedient girl, I returned the four other books I had been carrying along and left me with these three. Anyways, I could still come back sometime this weekend.

I left the airconditioned mall unto the heat of the scorching sun still feeling ecstatic. Buying books always puts me in a good mood no matter what. I was proud of myself for another successful book shopping that ended up to be a steal. Not bad for spending my last 300 bucks.