fully booked

There was actually a specific reason that we wanted to go The Fort. Just before I left the US, I had read an article or blog entry that mentioned Fully Booked, a fancy bookstore comparable to the ones we have in the US. Being the bibliophile that I am, I of course had to see it. I have always considered going to a bookstore as a fun activity, so this was supposed to be the main event but, as you can see from the previous post, it actually didn’t turn out that way.

By the time we finally reached the bookstore, which is in the next block from the restaurants, we had walked around quite a bit and were stuffed to the max. From across the street, I can already see that Fully Booked is an impressive establishment. I could see four floors (there are actually five floors, including the basement), with a coffee shop on the third floor.

When we entered, I could see that the layout is spacious (not cramped like the other bookstores here). Aside from the great space, I immediately noticed the vast selection of books. Many of the bookstores I’ve visited here primarily sells textbooks and popular books. Fully Booked, on the other hand, has a fantastic selection; I saw a few books that I don’t think I would see in American bookstores. For example, the children’s area (complete with tables and chairs) has a section on pop-up books (one of my favorites) and award winners. I also saw a few Spanish selections in the fiction area.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling so great by the time we got to the bookstore, so we really didn’t get to look around as much as I would normally want. So, we will definitely have to come back at a later date.


Addendum: We actually did go back to Fully Booked about a week later (March 22). While I had wanted to go through all of the floors, we actually didn't go to the basement level, which has the graphic novels, anime, and stationery. We did go through the other floors, albeit rather quickly. These are some of the contents on each floor: 1) popular, magazines, fiction; 2) children's, cookery, Filipiniana, hobbies/interests; 3) Starbucks coffee shop, history, self-help 4) CDs, listening stations, DVDs, forum (lecture area), architecture/interior design. We actually didn't spend as much time roaming around as much as looking at books. We were planning a trip for the next day so we were actually looking at books and maps. But you get the picture...