Myra here.
As we celebrated our 100th Book Hunting Expedition Sundays, we are inviting you, our fellow book hunters to share with us photographs of your favorite bookstores (be it indie, discounted book stores, book cafes, big retail bookshops) and a few of your amazing book finds. While we try as much as we can to find out-of-the-way bookstores in the many cities that we get to visit, we know that we won’t be able to discover so many faraway places in our lifetime. And so we welcome guest posts from anyone who would wish to share their latest bookplace discoveries. Even library finds and pictures of your libraries would be most welcome. Please send your BHE post to gatheringbooks (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Book Gifts (plus other presents too) are the Best
The Asian Festival Of Children’s Content (AFCC) is over, sadly. Such an energy-filled, and vibrant festival with many like-minded individuals from different parts of the world finding each other, sharing stories, forging friendship and building connections. I am so glad to meet many old and new friends. And with such gatherings come gifts as well. Here are a few that were given to me by wonderful people from all over. Most of these photographs are also in keeping with our current reading theme: most are titles by Asian authors and most are handed over during dinner or while having coffee together.
Friends from Singapore
Thank you to the eternally-beautiful Auntie Susanna Goho-Quek for giving me a copy of Fun at the Opera.
And it came with sequined opera masks too! How awesome.
I have been very eager to get my hands on this lovely book by the prolific David Seow: A Day with the Duchess illustrated by Soefara Jafney.
I am so happy that Ken Quek, part of the AFCC Publications has given me more copies of One Big Story and Beyond Folktales, Legends and Myths.
While Australian Ken Spillman is technically not from Singapore, this powerfully-written picture book The Circle illustrated by Manjari Chakravarti is published here in Singapore. Thank you dearest Ken for giving me a copy.
During the book launch of The Circle which I moderated. Photo taken by AFCC.
Friends from the Philippines
I was so thrilled to receive these books from Budjette Tan. Trese: Book of Murders by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and Abangan: The Best Philippine Komiks 2014 by Rob Cham, Adam David, Carljoe Javier and Elbert Or as Series Editors.
A special package from multi-award-winning Filipino author Russell Molina: Salamat Po! by Russell Molina and art by Tokwa Peñaflorida, Umaga na Tala by Russell Molina and artwork by Marcus Nada, Hayan na si Kidlat! by Russell Molina and art by Ariel Santillan, Halimaw by Russell Molina and Art by Rommel Jason. Thank you so much, Russell!
History books hand-delivered by Blooey Singson of Bookmarked all by Ambeth Ocampo: 101 Stories on the Philippine Revolution, Meaning & History: The Rizal Lectures, Rizal’s Teeth Bonifacio’s Bones, and Chulalongkorn’s Elephants: The Philippines in Asian History.
Also from Blooey: Looms for my 12 year old girl.
Dinner with Blooey!
Presents from Japan and New Zealand
Beautifully-wrapped package from highly-respected artist from Japan, my dearest Naomi Kojima, also one of the chapter contributors for One Big Story.
And here’s what’s inside! Book bag! And a notebook! Naomi knows my heart.
A bottle of fruit wine from New Zealand! A lovely gift from John McKenzie, one of the leading children’s literature experts in NZ, and also one of our chapter contributors for One Big Story.
Book Prize and a Foodie Book from Pansing Books
Thank you so much to Vamos a Leer for sending me Nick Lake’s In Darkness.
Pansing Books sent me a copy of this book in time for our current Makan theme: Fragrant Heart by Miranda Emmerson.
Random Book Buys from Bras Basah
Blooey and I went on an unplanned book hunting expedition at Bras Basah, which is right beside the Central Public Library where AFCC was held. And true to form, I managed to snag a few titles:
Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman by Odo Hirsch and Tove Jansson’s Tales from Moominvalley.
The Last Lecture: Lessons in Living by Randy Pausch.
Book Buys from AFCC: A Leonard Marcus Extravaganza
And so I am several dollars poorer because of Leonard Marcus’ gorgeous books, sold during the Festival. Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing, Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom, and Listening for Madeleine.
And I simply could not resist purchasing this tome of a book, Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and His Work by Leonard Marcus.
And here is Leonard signing this beautiful book while we were having coffee and dessert.
Gathering Books 
Now, I am reading People Skills by Robert Bolton 🙂
LikeLike
Wonderful books! I want most of them now! 😉 Wish I had gone! 😀
LikeLike