Good thing the National Library Board of Singapore held its annual book sale last September 15 and 16, 2012; where I happily
drowned my sorrows and homesickness with a few a lot of new books to add to my collection.
The National Library Book Sale 2012 |
National Library of Singapore along Victoria Street |
Such a far cry from the state of our own “National”
and "public" libraries. *Sigh*
I used to stay at the National Library Building along Victoria Street for hours on end. I’d be there by 2:00 p.m.
and stay on till the Husband left the office at 6 in the evening. There's ample seating and a whole lot of titles to
choose from (both fiction and non-fiction). Let’s just say I saw a preview of
my own version of heaven.
We started the Little One, too, on her journey to become a book lover (she has actually already amassed a decent collection of titles.) As such, she has also realized the vast entertainment potential of public
libraries at a very young age. We actually took her on her first library visit when she was only 9 months old.
The Husband and the Little One at the Yishun Public Library (which is located, in all places, inside a mall) |
But I digress. Let me
return back to my original post. J
Full house |
The National Library Board of Singapore holds its annual National Library Book Sale at
the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre in order to rid itself of their old books, usually those that have been in
service (for use by the public) for at least 3 years. It’s an
event that hundreds of book lovers, both locals and foreigners alike, have been
anxiously waiting for year after year.
And why is that?
Everything for S$1 to 2 only!!! |
Yes, folks. Your eyes
have not deceived you. Because books
here are sold here for S$1 (Php33*), for the Chinese and Malay language books; to
S$2 (Php66*) for English titles. No
kidding!
WARNING: As you can see in the photos, books are placed inside bins and are sorted by language and genre; not by author nor are they placed in alphabetical order. So expect a little digging to be done.
I tried not to go overboard, but man, it was freakin'
hard!!! Just look at what I was able to
buy.
My haul |
I didn't purchase a lot of fiction novels since I still had a number of titles on my to-read pile that time. Aside from my purchases, the Little One was also able to add quite a
number of titles to her growing collection.
For the Little One |
We're starting her off with story books, and less on the picture books, bit by bit since she's beginning to appreciate simple tales already.
The cost of all this debauchery (?) and lack of
self-control? Why, we spent only S$36 (Php1,100*) for 18
books! Not bad considering the 5 The Complete Peanuts collections alone
could have cost me Php6,500 (if bought brand new).
I’m hooked! I am so
waiting for next year’s sale. J
*S$1 = Php33
*S$1 = Php33
***
The National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore Book Sale is usually scheduled
around July and September every year. Announcements
in both the NLB website and newspapers are done beforehand to inform the public of the
official date.
Couldn't wait to start reading her new books |
I love book sale! good reasons to haul books to read:) ang bongga naman dyn library sa mall sosyal! sana ganydn din dito sa phil:)
ReplyDeleteHay! How I wish. Looking at the Philippines, we actually have a lot of potential. We just need discipline and polical will. =)
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