Nobody was willing to help. Either staff were busy with their task or chatting with other staff…read more Noone offers to help you find things. The cashier was not nice.

We stopped by here to look for books for my classes, but I didn't find anything that would be…read moreuseful. What I drooled over were their stock of stationery and pens. Omg their selection of pens is pretty incredible. There were several aisles of different kinds and colors of pens, markers and pencils imaginable. I was so tempted to buy pens 'cause they were so inexpensive, but then I saw the line and I didn't want to wait. It's Christmas time so it's a super busy time in the mall. This bookstore also had lots of toys on the ground floor, and art and school supplies on the 2nd floor.

"What's that?" I asked. "Let's go! It looks like a comic…read moreshop," my friend Mica said. We were on our way out of the mall already when we saw the posted for Planet X Comic Shop. We went back to the third level of Glorietta and checked out the store. It was small, but well lit. The staff greeted us immediately and within seconds we found out their names were Jay and Sol. We told them it was our first time to the shop and they said it was obvious as we were oooh-ing and ahhh-ing and drooling over the things we wanted. Mica went crazy over the comics. Remember I said it was a small shop? It is. But they have a good selection of comics. I was interested in this book they had about Marvel and the way they do things. Then I checked the price and knew I wasn't going home with the book that day. "Mica, I need a job," I wailed. "I want this Captain America toy but it's 12K," Mica replied. Jay and Sol assured us that they have sales and everything becomes cheaper for a few days. Well, I can't wait for that day. For now, I'll be checking this shop every time I'm here to see what other new items they have.

In the Makati area, this is the best comic book shop where you can have comics (either new or…read morebackordered) reserved to you on a weekly basis (called a pull list). Customer service is awesome because of Eric, the shop's proprietor. I've been a patron of theirs since 2009 and even though there are other bigger comics shops in Manila, I always go back here. Plus, on every first Saturday of May every year, they are among the local comic book shops in Manila that participate in Free Comic Book Day, where anyone can get a free comic book of they choosing, free of charge, no strings attached.

A treasure trove for bookworms, Booksale sits on the first floor of Makati Cinema Square, a mall…read morethat has seen better days but still remains a hub for one-of-a-kind finds. Stocked with mostly second-hand and dog-eared books, Booksale is a bargain heaven for the bibliophile. You really never know what you might stumble upon while combing through the shelves of the store. Art books for the fraction of the price in high-end bookstores sit on the shelves, waiting to be discovered by the keen treasure hunter. There's also a sizeable collection of hardbound books, science fiction titles, graphic novels, comic books, cook books, gardening how-to's, novelty and humor reads and so much more. If you're on the hunt for past issues of both local and international magazines, you are in for a treat. There are hundreds of titles to scour and they never cost more than an arm and a leg.

If you're a book lover, but you are on a budget (And when I say "on a budget", I mean flat broke),…read moreBook Sale is the answer to your needs. I've been in and out of various Book Sales all over Manila, and it's a fantastic place to look for pre-loved books at a fraction of the cost. Personally, I love going here to buy coffee tables books. There are a couple of good finds to be had here. You just have to be diligent when you do dig around. The branch at Makati Square is typical of most of their branches, but it does have a bit more elbow room than the others. They also have an inordinate number of kiddle books, so that's a plus for parents.

I go to this Fully Booked for two reasons…read more First, the have a huge selection of art materials. They've got all sorts of paints and pens and even calligraphy instruments. Whenever I need paint, I come to this place. On some Saturdays there is a group that meets in this shop to draw, swap materials, share stories and new techniques and to encourage one another to continue their art. Second, they've got almost all of Neil Gaiman's books. I started reading and collecting his books last year When my girlfriend introduce me to his stuff. Since then, I went on a hunt for his books. And I'm still on the hunt. Usually, I find Neil Gaiman's stuff here. Oh, I've also found the complete Old Kingdom series. I had to reserve the books for a few days to come up with the money and the staff were really nice about it. I'm still waiting for the staff to find me a set of Griffin and Sabine. I have hope that they will.

Who doesn't love going to bookstores?…read more Whether you are a bookworm or not, walking in to bookstores are always a pleasure to me. I love their book sales because you can get as much as 4 books for the price of P300 you just have to be an early bird to get the best authors and deals. But most of all, I love their stationery place. Just seeing those art materials, blank pages of notebooks, colored pens, office supplies. I always wonder if I have stationery issues because I keep on buying notebooks but won't use them anyway. I still have dreams of buying a lot of office supplies.

Libros Filipinos is a specialty bookstore of the Filipinas Heritage Library. I love books and I…read morelove reading as much as I can whenever I can. Being a voracious reader, I'm always on the lookout for interesting finds and reads that I can happily add to my collection. I think people nowadays don't have so much time to read actual books and I still want to believe that there are people who still work to preserve and promote literature through picking up actual books to read and share with others. I think it is culturally imperative to also read of one's history and culture. Many of us get sucked into the overly saturated world of globalization and sometimes forget to take a look at where we have come from to understand the behaviour of our current society. At the Libros Filipinos bookstore, you will find some interesting books, publications, cds, and videos that talk about anything and everything on the Philippines. Our country is so rich in diverse cultures and influences that any curious reader will have loads to read about. The selections are great! You can also check on their website about events and book signing as well as the possibilities of ordering a specific book you may be looking for.

This is my go to place for greeting cards, gift wrapping needs, office supplies and books…read more I realize that they are called a book store, but they are more than just a book store. When it comes to pens, I think that they have the biggest selection of pens that I have ever seen. It is nice that you could even try writing with the pen, but who is to say if that pen was the one that has been used the most or least. I realize that it would be difficult to have just one pen sample per type of pen, and their regulars have been spoiled to be able to try any pen to their liking. At least you'll be able to try out the pen before you purchase it. They have a very nice range of pens. You'll be able to find pens made in numerous countries. I recently purchased Cross pens as gifts. I remember being able to drop off a gift for gift wrapping. I do not know if they still have this service. You could always tell when National Book Store did the gift wrapping. This is definitely the place for all the school supplies needed for students. This is also the place for office supplies.

When I was a kid my family always had a Sunday ritual. We start the day with mass, then we have…read morelunch in Pancake House and then we end the day with a trip to National Bookstore. Buying from other stores always made me a tad guilty, but it was different with National Bookstore. As a child, I always felt guilty about buying clothes but never with books or school supplies. Books stay with you forever, clothes you outgrow and once they are over worn, they are immediately discarded. I've always liked going to this particular store because they carry items that you won't see in the Alabang branch. Books here are newer, notebooks sold are better and sale items more varied. Tips: 1. This branch is right across a Wendy's restaurant. 2. It's also has a Rustan's Supermarket beside it. You can make a trip to the grocery after you go shopping here. 3. National Bookstore carries some books that you will find in Fully Booked or Powerbooks but prices here are way cheaper.

This Booksale branch has been my go-to for cheap kid's books. This branch from what I've noticed…read morecompared to the one in Cubao tends to carry older stock which means cheaper items! I'd dig for almost an hour searching for Php10 and Php20 picture books for my kid and most of the time I usually do find a few gems. However, when they do have nice quality (read: surplus and new) books in between Php 40 to Php 70, I'll sometimes splurge and grab one or two for my toddler daughter. I've been constantly disappointed with their selection of adult books which are normally just John Grisham (kakaumay) and weird romantic novels from the 80s. Their coffee table books are also of top tier but mostly pretty expensive for secondhand books although there are a few gems. My brother orders his back copies of High Times from this branch and he has no shame calling them if a new shipment has come in. But I normally go here for the children's selection.

Paper Stone is a newly opened kiosk in Glorietta 3. This company is originally from Singapore and…read moreit sells different paper products, stationery, bags, mugs, and pens. From the looks of the place, one could tell that the main target customers of the store are young students. Even so, some of the items being sold can be great gifts to older folks. Here's a little secret. Whenever I go to National Bookstore or Powerbooks, I buy a notebook while my wife buys pens. We don't really intend to collect these things but it's like an addiction for us. Besides, we just appreciate good pens and paper products. So when we passed by the Paper Stone kiosk for the first time, we naturally felt compelled to buy something. I wasn't able to find a notebook that suits me because most of the designs on display are either too bright or too girly for my taste. As for my wife, she got a pack of three fancy pens for PHP 89.00. It's not bad considering she intends to give the pens to her niece.