Tuesday, March 20, 2007

My Answers to the Filipino Bibliophile Meme

1) Do you remove the price tag from the books you buy? I used to, using my super-secret solvent formula but nowadays, no--I don't even remove the shrink wrap.
2) When buying books, do you prefer them shrink-wrapped or open for all to see? Shrink-wrapped because I don't want germs on my books. Just kidding. As long as the books are in good condition.
3) Brand new books or second hand books? Well the last time I read a second hand book, I was coughing because of all the dust and the insects coming out of it... so brand new books as much as possible.
4) American covers or European covers? European preferably but I'll take what I can get.
5) Do you consider comics/manga as books (or count it against your books read)? No, separate pile.
6) Your favorite book by a Filipino author. Having not read much, it's got to be Culture and History by Nick Joaquin.
7) A novel you've read that's written in the local language with English being the exception. Bata, Bata, Paano Ka Ginawa? By Luwalhati Bautista.
8) Your favorite local nonfiction book. See #6.
9) Do you have a discount/membership card to the bookstore you patronize? Yes, both formally and informally.
10) What's a book you're ashamed to tell others you bought/read? The closest would probably be the Christine Freehan romance novel which I accidentally ordered.
11) Name a book you bought because it was the current fad or because you watched a movie of the same name? Jurassic Park which was the first novel I actually read.
12) Name a book you read before it later became trendy or fashionable to do so. There's a couple: Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials (it'll be popular soon!), and probably another series or two which I can't remember now (I, Robot?)
13) Name a book that you read before it was required reading for your class. None comes to mind. I was illiterate back then.
14) In what language did you read the Noli me Tangere (komiks counts)? Tagalog in high school, English in college.
15) Did you ever use Cliff Notes or Barron's Book Notes in school? Not really.
16) Do you know what month the annual Manila International Book Fair is held? It's either in the last week of August or the first week of September.
17) What's the most expensive book you bought? How much? Right now it has got to be the Nelson Japanese dictionary which cost me around P3,000.00+.
18) What's the least expensive book you bought? How much? An acquaintance was selling some of his old books and I bought them for around P20.00 each although I haven't gotten around to reading them.
19) Have you ever stolen a book from the library? No.
20) Have you ever stolen a book from a bookstore? No.
21) Do you have a book that you borrowed that you still haven't returned? From Elbert and Vin and Lea. But they're similarly holding hostage some of my books...
22) Is there a religious text that you've read from cover to cover? Well I have read the Bible...
23) Do you read book reviews? Some.
24) Do you believe that the New York Best-Seller List is actually a list of best-selling books? Only if there's a cookbook on that list...
25) What is your favorite University Press (your choice) book? None really although I did like Smaller and Smaller Circles from UP Press and Salamanca from Ateneo.

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