[Author’s Note]
Hello fellow Filipiniana fans,
Manila International Book Fair 2025 was more than 3 weeks ago. We went on September 13th, a Saturday which meant the place was packed. It wasn’t the best situation since I had a lot of titles on my to-buy list but we only had less than a couple of hours to find those titles, line up for payment and generally explore the stalls.
We were in a rush because we were going to watch Dear Evan Hansen that same day. We had booked the tickets months prior since Jy is a big fan of the musical. I also learned a day before that VP Sara also watched the show when she was supposed to be attending the OVP Budget deliberations. We were already looking forward to the play but after learning that news, I got even more intrigued because it was apparently worth missing an important commitment for. I guess VP Sara and I have some things in common now:
Pareho kaming “isang kaibigan.”
We watched Dear Evan Hansen in Manila
We would rather do something fun than report to work.
We don’t want people to know how we use funds.
But then again I’m not a public official.
Anyway, that was a bit of a long rant to say that I should have scheduled our MIBF visit better. There were a lot of titles I didn’t have time for anymore but I’ll just save them for the next book sale or bookstore visit!
In any case, I wanted to share my Filipiniana haul from MIBF 2025 even if it’s only a handful of titles and this post is already quite late. I’ll always take an opportunity to feature local authors any chance I can.
Halina!
-Roi
Manila International Book Fair 2025 Haul
“The buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching toward infinity.” ― A. Edward Newton
Some notes on why I’m happy to have added these titles to our collection:
Killing Time in a Warm Place by Jose Y. Dalisay, Jr. - another addition to our collection of Martial Law-related books. I’ve shared before that we make it a point to collect books relevant to that dark period in our history, so this was an easy decision.
Super Panalo Sounds! by Lourd de Veyra - I’m a devout and loyal follower of the Lourd, so I felt that his debut novel is a must-have. I’ve been looking for a copy for years so I’m glad we have this in our library now. I was so excited to read this I finished it quite quickly (I’ll post a review at some point).
Pagpag: Poems, Precautions, Meditations, and Other Protestations by Lourd de Veyra - my 3rd Lourd poetry book. This joins my copies of Insectissimo and Marka Demonyo.
Responde by Norman Wilwayco - another book I’ve been looking for for years. Norman Wilwayco’s Gerilya is the first novel in Filipino I read that was not a school requirement. I remember reading it when I was in high school and just getting hooked. I’ve also read Migrantik so this was an easy addition. When I bought the book, I noticed the reviews from Lav Diaz, Ronaldo Soledad Vivo Jr., Lourd de Veyra, Eros Atalia, Jun Sabayton, among others. As if I needed more reasons to buy it.
The Indio & The Impaler by Wincy Ong - this one’s an addition to our Rizaliana, another category we intentionally curate. This title from Wincy Ong joins the works of Rizal himself, Ambeth Ocampo, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Virgilio Almario, Nick Joaquin, and Noel Villaroman in our collection. Part historical fiction and gothic + colonial horror, with elements of dark comedy and philosophy, it is a unique and creative take on the National Hero.
Ang Pag-ibig sa Bayan ni Bonifacio by Virgilio S. Almario - Ambeth Ocampo often states that Rizal wrote a lot for a nation that does not read him. Although not to the same extent, Bonifacio also did write a lot but it’s not talked about enough, so this is a nice addition to the library.
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