National Bookstore is a part of everybody's schooltime memories. And for good reason, they have…read morealmost everything that a student needs. From textbooks to notebooks to writing implements, just name it and they have it. They have magazines, graphic novels and even gift wrapping services. They have school supplies of different brands so there are choices depending on which style or price range you prefer the most. The also have their Best Buy products which are more affordable school and office supplies. And for bibliophiles like myself, they sell a lot of books. You're sure to find the latest bestsellers in their shelves. They have also started bringing to the Philippines famous authors like Nicholas Sparks and Mitch Albom for book signing events. They also sell paperbacks for a discounted price although these are mostly copies that are not really of brand new condition. Its founder, affectionately called Nanay Coring, has really built a company that Filipinos can look up to. From a small store in Avenida, they now have more than a hundred branches scattered around the archipelago. National Bookstore will always be the Filipino student's best friend.

National Bookstore suddenly had a lot of indirect competitors the past few years and I am happy…read morethat it gave them the drive to think of new products to offer their loyal customers. I am not so fond of this megamall branch because the one in Shangri la is my favorite, it is newly renovated and very well-lit. This branch is a little bit dark and people always seem to be too busy to help you out. I will never get tired of entering national bookstore because (aside from the fact that I love books), it has everything that I need when it comes to office supplies. They even have the Kate Spade office collection and it brought them to another level, which I think will really work out for them. I have not renewed my Laking National card though (my friends, too) and I think they should work on their rewards platform next.

National Bookstore has long been the country's go to place for their personal supply of pens,…read morepapers, plastic envelopes, glue, art materials and generally anything that you need. It had long since outgrown its own name - it's not even a bookstore anymore. It's like a giant general supplies store. They have calculators, photo albums, paint, silkscreens, name it and they'd probably have it. I practically grew up in National Bookstore. It was there when I bought my first book as a child - My First 100 French Words. As I entered elementary school, I remember going there after every first day of school and every Friday thereafter to buy all my school supplies. I also remember seeing all of my classmates there shopping with me. All of us would fawn over the latest Sweet Valley and Love Stories books. We'd buy piles and piles of pad paper. Now that I'm older, I look for supplies for the office. I am so old.

I love this bookstore for the reason that it sells stuff, more than just books, that I can't get…read moreanywhere else. They have really cute trinkets that can be used in school or in the office. Place is usually not crowded and it really has the quiet library vibe, minus the irritable librarian. I also admire the sales people because they are very helpful and they always assist you in finding the book or magazine that you need. If you're the busy mom or the ate that doesn't want to be bugged by the kids while shopping, there is a small nook here where you can leave the little rascals and keep them occupied while you go around the mall. Just make sure they are old enough to stay by themselves or you can have yaya watch over them. Books are arranged neatly according to topic and field so you can easily locate the ones that you are interested in. So if you're the bookworm who loves to immerse himself in a lot of reading, this is definitely the place to go to.

Powerbooks is National Bookstore masquerading as a specialty bookstore to divert attention from the…read morefact that they hold the monopoly for the book business in the Philippines. In all fairness, when they were starting out, they did carry specialized titles that National Bookstore didn't have. As a bookstore freak, I remember nagging my parents to bring me to Powerbooks when they still had only one branch in Makati. I'd always come out with a smile on my face. I bought my Snoopy comics there and during the height of my Spice Girl fandom, I actually ordered their giant hardbound book. In hindsight, it was a humongous waste of money. I wonder why my parents even let me buy it. Anyway, that's not the point. Powerbooks is the place to go when you want to be surrounded by more books than supplies. Nowadays, I can hardly tell the difference between Powerbooks than National Bookstore.

This is a no frills bookstore. They have no gimmicks. No nothing. Just pure books, magazines and…read moresupplies. Yet I like the place. See, whenever I need English Tagalog dictionaries or Tagalog English dictionaries, I come to this place. I remember coming here when I needed all those Philippine postcards for my grade school history class. And I come here when I feel like pranking my niece who can't read Filipino and buying her a lot of Filipino books. This is one of the things I appreciate about Bridges Bookstore. They really encourage people to read Philippine literature by selling a lot of Filipino books. They've also made it pretty affordable so that no one has an excuse not to buy the books.

I should be happy that there are still other bookstores surviving in this digital age, though I…read moredon't think Bridges is really anything to be excited by. They're an okay, small bookstore in Virra Mall, where the nearest other bookstore would be the Fully Booked a good walk away in Promenade or the National Book Store outside the complex along Annapolis. There's a Booksale on the other corner of Virra Mall, and though they aren't exactly a "proper" bookstore, they might actually be a lot more fun than Bridges. The store is severely limited in variety and scope of reading materials, though they have an adequate amount of supplies and, surprisingly, toys. If you're really looking for a book, you'll unlikely to find it here, though they do have a fine enough selection of Filipiniana, and their classics are dirt cheap, maybe even cheaper than you would find in Booksale. They also have a lot of items on sale, so if you're looking for a nice coffee table or art book, there might be some in Bridges.

I grew up reading books. Story books, comic books, history books which my dad happily supplied when…read moreI was a child. When I grew up, I was buying them myself and it didn't matter where. Local stores, garage sales, book fairs- I was always there. I never felt guilty for buying books; I could buy 20 at a time and feel no remorse. So imagine my happiness when Fully Booked finally opened its doors to the public. It felt like having access to something so grand and I knew there and then that finally, I could get the books I want anytime I please. Fully Booked always has the latest and the greatest literature around and it's been my constant source of supply ever since it opened. Tips: 1. Be ready to spend when you're here! 2. Check out the Tin Tin exhibition when you have time.

There is no bookstore in Metro Manila which for me rivals this particular Fully Booked. Sure there…read moreare other Fully Booked bookstores out there, but I don't any of them rival this one in terms of size, and even if they do, none of them can probably compare to the ambiance of this place. The fact that it's located in the south means that it doesn't draw as large of a crowd as the Fully Booked in BGC. It has around four floors if memory serves me right and each floor is full of the kind of books that can satisfy almost any person's needs. There are books on speculative fiction, different kinds of hobbies, history, and so much more. I love this place because they keep most of the book marks, posters, and other trinkets and baubles that they sell down stairs. Once you get to the second floor and beyond, it's all books from there. It's also very quiet. I actually have half the mind not to talk about this particular Fully Booked out of fear that more and more people might want to go here.

As a writer, one of my passions is reading, and I've always been protective of my books. So it was…read morequite a surprise for me to find out that a man named Nanie Guanlao actually set up the entire front part of the house he grew up in along Balagtas St. in Makati as a free library. No library cards, no membership, no anything. The rules are simple: there are none. You can take a book, you can leave a book, or you can do both. You can come once and leave with 10 books, or keep/leave a book every week. Spreading from the steps to his house and leading all the way inside, over 500 books sit there waiting for new readers to explore their pages. My first time there, I ended up taking home "The World According to Garp" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." What started as Nanie's personal collection has become a repository for learning and exploration, a project for Nanie's family, and a neighborhood curiosity. As a believer in the power of words to inspire, motivate, and transform, I applaud Nanie and hope against all odds that there could be people like him in every street in every barangay in every city of the country. One can dream, after all.

I'm probably the only Pinoy I know who hates the concept of Filipino time, and as such, when my…read morefriends and I decide to meet up, I'm often the first to arrive. To kill time, I always, ALWAYS go to the bookstore. It's not difficult for me to wander around a bookstore, find a gem that I can read or leaf through for hours and hours. Before I know it, my phone starts beeping incessantly, flooded with messages from my friends, asking me where the hell I am. Fully Booked in Rockwell has always been one of my favorite bookstores in the metro, partly because I've been going here since it was still called Page One, and located at the ground floor of the mall. The book selection, from the new age section, the cooking section to the graphic novels (if this gives you any indication of what kind of person I am) are always well-stocked. I even enjoy the bestsellers they have on display, which are always timely and unique. The layout of the store is large enough for me to always find a quiet spot to read without being harassed by anything or anyone - except maybe for my cellphone. I should just probably put it on silent mode, I guess.

There are three major bookstores in the Philippines: National Bookstore, Powerbooks and Fully…read moreBooked. National Bookstore is the most comprehensive when it comes to textbooks but Fully Booked is the best with all others. They have a great selection, far more detailed and complete than other bookstores. They also have a lot of rare books and special editions. Aside from their collection, the customer service of Fully Booked is fantastic. The staff is always bright-eyed and well-mannered. They smile with you and easily remember who you are. They also have several services that are unique to Fully Booked branches alone. For one, you can reserve books before they even come out. Once the book becomes available Fully Booked will notify you through text that your book has arrived. You can also have books transferred from one branch to another. If a book is only available in the Fort or even, Cebu, you can have it transferred to the branch nearest you. Another service is if the book that you want is out of stock, you can ask them to replenish their inventory. All these are of no extra cost to you. Also, if the book that you want isn't in their database, you can request them to order it for you also with no extra charge. Most bookstores charge double for this service. Downside, it will usually take them 4 to 8 weeks to get here but that's usually the estimate regardless of where you ask it from. There's also a common misconception that Fully Booked is the more expensive bookstore. People think they charge more for their books, if you scout around though and compare prices you will be surprised to find that more often than not, Fully Booked is the one that sells the book at a lower price. I am speaking of the same quality, the same edition; it's cheaper.

This is one of my favorite bookstores in the Philippines. I love the aesthetic inside and how it…read morewas laid out especially when they have photo of a woman create with books. It was also bonus that my book, Bridging the Confidence, was available at this location. Definitely a must go if you love book stores.

Bookstore -- more than books! (MANILA Philippines)…read more My two daughters would absolutely love this bookstore if we had one in the U.S. My 10-year old niece who resides in the Philippines introduced me to this store when I told her that I was looking for Sonny Angel merchandise for my adult daughter at home who loves this stuff. Not only did they have them but they had so many different kinds of Pop Mart blind box merchandise meaning you do not know which figure you will receive until you buy one and open the box. The bookstore also carries a good selection of Manga books series which my other daughter would be excited to see. For Yuko Shimizu fans... they sell the mural shirts here too. After all the searching for the Sonny Angel merch I was glad to find them in this bookstore and surprised my child with the plush. Customer service was excellent, they were very friendly and helpful. Great prices! The bookstore is located in the Mitsukoshi BGC in Taguig Metro Manila. Review #3294