I have this problem where I cannot walk into a bookstore and then walk out empty handed. I'm a big…read morebookworm and saying goodbye to an entire store filled with books without a book for myself is just unthinkable. That's like hiring a prostitute, giving her a hug, and then sending her away. Actually, it's worse than that. EXPLOIT THE OPPORTUNITY, methinks. This is especially hard when it comes to secondhand or cheap bookstores like Bookay-Ukay. This place is amazing. It is filled from ceiling to floor with books - and not the usual crap you see in chain bookstores, either. You can tell that these titles were handpicked by whoever manages this place, and you're sure to find something you like in this hole-in-the-wall. My girlfriend had to drag me away from these books. I wanted to buy the entire building.

Finally visited the store, saw one of my fave comic books and bought it. never knew that I could…read moreget one for a such a low-cost. I'll definitely visit the store again for sure.

National Book Store is one of the largest and most popular bookstore chains out there. Despite the…read moreincrease of trendier bookstores in the Philippines like Power Books and Fully Booked, National Book Store still remains on top. Unlike its counterparts, National Book Store sells books and supplies at very affordable prices. They have a wide selection of cheap and premium items and they are always complete. I have been to other bookstores trying to look for supplies I needed in school, but they are always incomplete. I just hope that other bookstores would finally start offering things that people actually need, rather than selling cute and expensive key chains and stuffed toys that are completely unnecessary. I also like the National Book Store branch in Katip, because it's so big. It has two floors and it will literally take you half an hour to explore the whole place. National Book Store also sells popular bestselling novels. You can pre-order any book online.

Being in the field of education, I never really outgrew shopping for first day of classes…read more Nowadays, it seems hectic and such a struggle because of the crowd, but for me, tyempuhan lang. I love shopping for school supplies - fresh sharpies and white board markers, erasers, colored paper, gel pens, STAMPS. I am obsessed with them. But sometimes, school supply stores don't carry certain items, let alone cute ones. Since I live relatively near National's Bookstore along Katipunan, I feel lucky that I can easily access a wide range of books and materials. PROS: This store is huge and wide! One part for books and the other for school and office supplies - but equally gargantuan in space. This means so much choices and variety;O of the things I like about National Bookstore is that a lot of their wares are affordable. You may get to spend a fortune only after filling up your cart or maybe buying book sets. CONS: It's on the older side so it's not as modernly designed as, say, the Trinoma branch; The attendants are a bit grumpy. We all have our bad days, I guess. TL;DR: I am loyal and a fervent customer of National Bookstore, and this branch cements my devotion to the store.

There's nothing better than pre-loved books. I love brand new books as much as the next guy, but…read morewith pre-loved books, you know that someone else has enjoyed that book, and maybe they've been inspired by that book, or that it touched them and pushed them to greater things. Maybe it made them happy, maybe it made them feel. Maybe, for a moment, it made their life a little bit better. This is why I love places that sell second-hand books, and for such great prices, too. I took my lobster here and he, predictably, fell in love with the place. For the unfamiliar, it's right beside the UP Shopping Center along Laurel Avenue. For all intents and purposes, it's a tent with yard sale-ish collection of items inside - books and ukay-ukay clothing, with the books as the main focus. The best part is that the owner has seemingly read ALL of the books he's selling, as he can discuss any and all titles with you if you ask (and, if he's in a talkative mood, even if you don't).

I've seen a few secondhand bookstores come and go in the UP shopping center, and had a broken heart…read moreevery time. The UP campus in general used to be my mecca for books, but alas now I'm not sure whether the ones I know of still stand. The one at the second floor at the end of SC has woefully gone and I can only hope that the seller at AS walk has survived the changing of the times. I'm glad though that this store remains--I didn't even know that people referred to it as "Ate Weena's," as I just remember it as the store in a tent beside the COOP. I check it out every chance I get when I'm at UP, even though I know that I still have a growing pile of still unread books beside my bed. To be quite honest, the titles they carry are a lot more of the popular, bestselling variety, so if you're looking for something a little obscure this might not be the place for it. I also recognize that they're not as cheap as cheap *should* be, though I guess those kinds of insane prices are reserved for the intense shoppers who can tunnel into Booksales. Still, you should always check this place out if you're there, and who knows, maybe you'll luck into a really good find.

This is book heaven for UP CAL (College of Arts and Letters) and CSSP (College of Social Sciences…read moreand Philosophy) students, or for simply anyone interested in literature, literary criticism, philosophy and more. Of course, they also have titles for general fiction and chick lit, too. But they have not-so-easy-to-find titles for literature and other fields, which makes it great for students on those fields. Or simply for people who appreciate those fields, like me. They have titles you will easily find in bookstores, for example, nonfiction like "Freakonomics," Ayn Rand's books, Paulo Coelho's books, and Sophie Kinsella's books. But of course, the books here are cheaper. They are secondhand but in good condition. While I did not find anything to buy, I enjoyed looking at the variety of titles, which are conveniently grouped into categories. A few look like they are in the wrong category, like the inspirational books by Og Mandino placed under "poetry," but anyhow, that is just a nitpick. And, I have to agree there is some poetry in Og Mandino's works.

The Loyola Schools Bookstore has been many an Atenean's knight in shining armor whenever there's a…read moreneed for school supplies and Fully Booked or National Bookstore are too far away and their next class is coming up. It's taken up nearly the entire MVP Basement, and is filled with office and school supplies to keep your schooling needs complete. Other than that, LS Bookstore also offers some Atenean clothing apparel, which makes it a point of interest for fans of UAAP Ateneo teams or just the Ateneo in general. My dad who graduated in the 90s hounds me to buy him the latest hoodies and polo shirts. Other than that, they offer printing services cheaper than those in the Rizal Lib, and they even offer bookbinding services. The iCampus store is an official reseller of Apple products, and they even give an okay discount to students. Surprisingly, the LS Bookstore is also a good place to hang out or do a paper - it's usually quiet, it's fully air conditioned, and there aren't a lot of contenders for the wifi connection in the area.

Loyola Schools Bookstore is definitely my savior! Whenever I pass a final paper on time or I have a…read morepen to answer all of my exams and quizzes, I owe it all to this bookstore. This place has everything. From notebooks to books to smart phones and smart phone cases--this book store is your go-to place. They even sell Ateneo-themed clothing in case you want to wear one while cheering for Ateneo in the UAAP. Loyola Schools Bookstore also has a SMART Communications Center for anyone looking for a new smart phone plan. They also have an Intermatrix branch stationed inside for printing and photocopying services. For all the book-lovers out there, this place also has a collection of the newest and most popular books. They have autobiographies of famous people like One Direction, romantic novels by The New York Times bestselling author John Green, and classical novels that you can read over and over again. In case you're not interested in buying anything, you can just chill and relax with your friends in the couches placed there (HOORAY FOR AIR CONDITIONED PLACES IN ATENEO).

I can't begin to describe how cute The Paper Stone is. And no, I don't mean it's in any way ugly…read moreyet appealing. Appealing yes, but by no means is it ugly! I loved browsing the shop and asking about every single product they had. They offer a wide range of stationery, from magazine holders, to pens, to gift wrappers, to journals! They may be a bit pricey though, which breaks my heart because they all have such adorable designs! The stickers are my favorite. I remember spending around 15 minutes (or more) just looking at every sticker design they had, trying to choose which to purchase. (I settled with cute bunnies). For those, like me, who can't resist cute things, you'll probably spend the same amount of time I did browsing their collection. The Paper Stone is a good place to buy gift items for your girlfriends, or your nieces. Trust me, boys.

Cute items and this is the store I never fail to visit whenever I'm at UP Town Center but the sales…read moreassistants are too clingy! I wish they'd give shoppers more personal space.

I knew before I even got into UP that the material put out by UP Press was always top-notch and…read morehaving studied there, I can tell you that no bullsh** will pass through publishing there. Biases aside, the UP Press is worth going to, despite the building's very unassuming appearance and location near the College of Architecture. It's a very plain, boxy building on the outside, and in the inside it's just a small, quiet place for books and bookworms. UP is a school, yes, but not everything published is academic in nature; look for poetry, or fiction, or children's books among the racks and you won't be disappointed. It's a shame we already have so few places to get books to begin with, and another when we have so little opportunity to present local talent. The UP Press is at least able to provide that. That said, it's also a shame that our Filipiniana rarely ever goes on sale! I'm glad to give a little coin to help a brother out, but I do enjoy the occasional discount. Wait for the ideal time when the UP Press goes on sale (the website helps!), then roll on down to check them out.

The home of such literary classics like the Likhaan Anthology of Philippine Literature in English…read morefrom 1900's to the Present, the UP Press represents the best of what the University of the Philippines has to offer. By printing literary works that boost the national fervor and patriotism of the common Filipino and publishing thought-provoking scholarly work and research, the UP press has established itself as one of the premier academic presses in the country. Located in the campus of the University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City, the press houses various works from the multitude of geniuses and hallowed minds that have graduated from the halls of the ever-so-humble publicly-funded university that continues to hold itself unrivalled in the academic sphere. However, to enjoy their literary works, one does not necessarily have to go on campus per se; the illustrious books often enjoy being part of the shelves of the country's most widespread bookstores and places of learning, meaning that you may be able to enjoy the quality of a UP Press book without even leaving the comfort of your city.

Since I was an undergrad, I couldn't help but stop by Zeitgeist every time I see it. And that's…read morerather frequent, seeing as they are located right in front of the School of Humanities building, my home department. They're really just a spread of books on two tables and two shelves-- nothing more. (And it's funny because some of my friends man the place. Or more like, they befriended the sellers and actually started working there? Or maybe they were just hanging out. I don't really know, but I always see them there.) It's much like Book sale in the sense that most of their books are in pretty good condition-- although the books here are more limited in genre (which makes it easier to look for books!) They've got alot of novels used in the Great Books classes (classical literature), along with some detective novels (A lot of Agatha Christie), poetry collections, philosophy texts, and even some comics/graphic novels. And the best part? SO CHEAP. Like, seriously. If you wanna check out a book under the aforementioned genres, go to zeitgeist first before heading off to Fully Booked in Regis. Going to be worth it, if you find it!

With more and more interest going into the "nerdy" or "geek" culture, comic shops and hobby shops…read morehave arisen to provide specialty shop services to the growing population. So, where would one go for both? One option would be Filbar's, which manages to sell comic books, cards and figurines of superheroes and occasionally favorite fantasy characters from Japanese Anime as well. With these shops scattered all over, one can imagine a network of these subcultures managing to tell each other about the latest small place where one can pick up a comic or a toy or even a card game that caters to their hobbies and interests. This branch of Filbar's in particular is conveniently located inside a mall and looks more like an open stall than an enclosed store thus permitting even girls like me to get in on the trend. The layout and location of the store diminishes any sense of hesitation that uninitiated yet curious passersby may feel and the general interest magazines displayed in the front portion seems to be an effective ploy to get any mall-goer to do the first step: check out the store. With Filbar's around, we can be comfortable showing our curiosity and openness for this new culture.