Bookworms are in seventh heaven amid the opening of the Manila International Book Fair this Wednesday, September 11.
A book store curated a list of reads that bibliophiles can enjoy at the highly anticipated event happening at the SMX Convention Center until September 15.
Fully Booked has 15 suggestions for every kind of reader — from those into young adult novels to those into literary favorites.
Literary fiction picks
Toward Eternity by Anton Hur
A speculative novel about love, robots, and poetry, Hur’s debut novel introduces readers to a world in the near future where nano-technology is developed to replace body cells with nanites, curing cancer, and granting humans immortality.
One of its first recipients is Yonghun, a literary researcher whose passion project is training an AI poet named Panit. As Yonghun, Panit, and other nano humans thrive — and begin to replicate —their development will lead them to a crossroads and a choice with existential consequences.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
This slice-of-life novel offers a simple message — That there are no small dreams and that it is okay to be different and not follow the same path as everyone else.
The Three-Body Problem Book 1 by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu)
Since its 2006 publication, this acclaimed Chinese sci-fi masterpiece has garnered a global cult following, culminating in a 2023 hit eight-episode Netflix series.
Riveting, multi-layered, and mind-unfolding, “The Three-Body Problem” tackles one of the oldest questions in science fiction: How might contact with extraterrestrial intelligence impact the future of humanity?
Kenji Miyazawa’s Restaurant of Many Orders and Other Stories
In a restaurant deep in the forest, diners receive peculiar instructions before being served.
At first, the requests are simple — remove your coat, brush your hair, wash yourselves, but as the requests grow increasingly bizarre, it becomes clear that something sinister is at play.
This is the opening tale in a collection of three fables by one of Japan’s most beloved authors, Kenji Miyazawa, who is a master at blending the natural with the supernatural.
His work is said to have inspired the legendary director Hayao Miyazaki.
For teens and Young Adult readers
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
From the author of the award-winning book “Patron Saints of Nothing” comes an emotionally-charged novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught relationships.
While “Everything We Never Had” is a YA book, it holds a universal appeal for anyone interested in the history of the Filipino diaspora, inherited trauma, and parenting.
The Summer of Letting Go by Catherine Dellosa
Another YA gem, “The Summer of Letting Go” is Catherine Dellosa’s newest book about grief and healing.
Kali is an 18-year-old college student who recently lost her uncle to a sudden and tragic accident.
When she starts seeing her uncle’s ghost in a tea shop near where he died, Kali decides to apply for a part-time job there so she can spend time with him.
At once heartbreaking and tender, “The Summer of Letting Go” offers readers a glimpse into the strength it takes to move forward even when it seems impossible.
The Grandest Game Volume 1 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The mystery trilogy is back with a new spin-off series called “The Grandest Game.”
Set a year after readers last saw Avery and the Hawthorne brothers, the stage is set for the high-stakes competition designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune.
Only seven golden tickets are up for grabs, and with millions on the line, those seven players will do whatever it takes to win.
Inspiring design reads
The Art of Inside Out 2 By Kelsey Mann
This offers a fascinating look inside the highest-grossing animated film of all time — “Inside Out 2.”
Featuring behind-the-scenes, character designs (including the ones that didn’t make it on film), storyboards, color scripts, interviews with the creative team, and much more, “The Art of Inside Out 2” is a must-have collectible for aspiring artists, animators and creatives, as well as anyone who loved the movie.
Art as Therapy by Alain Botton and John Armstrong
This groundbreaking book proposes art as a powerful tool for therapy.
Alain de Botton and John Armstrong believe that art can help people navigate their most intimate and ordinary dilemmas, asking questions like: What can I do about the difficulties in my relationships? Why isn’t my work more satisfying? Why do others seem to have more glamorous lives? Why is politics so depressing?
Self-improvement reads
Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday
This much-anticipated third installment of the Stoic Virtues series features the transformational power of living by a moral code.
Drawing from the fascinating examples of historical figures like Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, Jimmy Carter, and many more, “Right Thing, Right Now” offers a powerful antidote to the moral failures of our modern age and serves as a manual for living virtuously.
Embracing Hope: On Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Life by Victor Frankl
This new collection of rediscovered works by Viktor Frankl is now published in English for the first time.
The author of “Man’s Search for Meaning” once again imparts profound life lessons, teaching people how to turn tragedy into triumph and lead a fulfilled and purposeful life.
For the little ones
Bluey Books
The precocious and imaginative Blue Heeler puppy and her family and friends have captured our hearts on animated TV.
Now’s the chance to bring a piece of Bluey to the shelves.
Young readers can choose from Fully Booked’s collection of storybooks, picture books, coloring books, activity books, and more.
A Roof! by Stephanie Ellen Sy
This beautiful storybook celebrates the Filipino spirit of “bayanihan.”
In “A Roof,” young Maya discovers a roof in her backyard, blown there by a typhoon, with an address written on it.
Determined to return it to its rightful owners, Maya sets out with her Tatay.
Along the way, they receive help from a farmer, fishers, a sapatero, a labandera, a kusinero, and more of her neighbors, as they embark on a heartwarming journey to bring the roof back to their family.
For your Christmas shopping
Murdle Vol. 1: Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles by G.T. Karber
Murdle, the mystery puzzle book, has taken the literary world by storm, making the mystery fans dance with joy and unlocking the secret sleuths in everyone.
Filled with codes, illustrations, maps, clues, weapons, and locations, the armchair detectives will have fun deducing the who, what, where, how, and why to catch the culprit and solve the crime.
