I'm from Manila, Philippines so there are times that books are released here a little bit later than the US publishing dates. There are also instances wherein the bookstores here only carries the trade paperback editions first, and the hardcover version will be released after a few weeks or so. I have this penchant for hardcovers... well more like an obsession (as what my friends call it! LOL!). I just love the feel of hardcover books - the crispness of the paper, the smell of a newly opened book, the striking, beautiful covers... these are the things which makes me just want to buy every book in hardcover.
Ok, so I think I kinda drifted to another subject for a moment there. Anyway, the reason I posted this is to showcase the bookstore that I frequent and/or buy my books.
All Powerbooks stores have this very good ambiance. Their stores are spacious. All books are neatly stacked and they have very good YA section. Customer service personnel are really nice and accommodating. They always greet you with a smile and knows which books to recommend. What makes this store unique is having a reading area for those people just browsing through books. They have seats and cushions for those who want to feel more comfortable while checking out the books they potentially would want to buy. They also accept book reservations, especially for those books which are harder to find and those which are bestsellers (which most of the time are already out of stock.) When you contact them through email, you will expect that they will respond to your inquiry in less than a day's time. If you are searching for a book and they don't have it available in that particular store, they will coordinate with their other branches and if available there, have the book delivered to your preferred branch. How cool is that, right? It is indeed pure convenience. This is the main reason why this is my first stop whenever I go to the malls.
Just like Powerbooks, Fully Booked has a great staff and customer service. These people also know the books they are selling. Most of their personnel are very approachable and friendly. Their branches though are not as spacious as I would want them to be (unlike the main branch located at Bonifacio Global City). They also respond to email inquiries, but unlike Powerbooks, some inquiries took longer than how Powerbooks might have done it. Anyway, what I also appreciate with Fully Booked is their wide range of books especially in the YA genre. There are even times that they would be the very first bookstore to carry a title IN HARDCOVER! Woot! They also accept book reservations and they can reserve the book for a maximum of 3 days and deliver it to your preferred store.
These two bookstores I always have to visit once a week. After a stressful week at the office, I just have to relax myself by going to these places. Riffling through the pages of the new books just simply gives me a boost of renewed energy... AND while I'm doing that, I always imagine myself the owner of these bookstores! That's actually my life-long dream!
Anyhow, I drifted again from the topic. Can someone stop me from blabbering? LOL!
Going back to the subject... If I really REALY REALLY want a book in hardcover and couldn't find it at all from these bookstores, then I have to order from Book Depository. I initially read about this online store when I was blog-stalking Chachic at Chachic's Nook. She's also from Manila and I read a post telling about the world-wide free shipping of Book Depository. Upon reading that, my eyes literally went out off their sockets! THAT IS JUST SO FREAKINGLY GREAT!!! Then I ordered my first batch of books (just for me to test it). And I was surprised that in about 10 days time, they arrived... AND in very good conditions. After that once a month, I order books from Book Depository.
Well that's it. I just want to share to everyone where I buy my books. Have a nice day / Good night! (it's daytime here, but I work graveyard shifts so I don't know which greeting I should use! LOL!)
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