THE HOTTEST BOOKS AT THE MIBF

The biggest book event of the year, the Manila International Book Fair, is slated on Sept. 16-20, at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, and book lovers are gearing up to get their hands on the hottest books of the season, among them: 1) Adult Coloring Books – With the coloring craze sweeping the metro, expect a wide range of adult coloring books at the book fair, from the highly-coveted books of Johanna Basford (“Secret Garden” and “Enchanted Forest”) and Zoe de las Casas (“Secret Paris,” “Secret Japan,” “Secret New York”) to the varied offerings of Creative Haven (“Owls,” “Paisley Designs,” “Creative Cats,” “Art Nouveau”); 2) Celebrity Books – With Filipinos in the loop on their showbiz idols, celebrity books are always a popular choice. Popular titles include “Dear Alex, Break Na Kami. Paano? Love, Catherine” by Alex Gonzaga (ABS-CBN Publishing); “Paano Ba Ito?” by Bianca Gonzalez (One Mega Group); “Judy Ann’s Kitchen” by Judy Ann Santos (Anvil Publishing); “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo” by Ramon Bautista (PSICOM); “Besties” by Solenn Heusaff and Georgina Wilson (ABS-CBN Publishing); and the novelization of the hit John Lloyd-Bea starrer “One More Chance” by Juan Miguel Sevilla; 3) Translated Books – Bestselling novels and franchises are now available in Filipino editions. Among the hot new translations are “Attack on Titan” and “Fairy Tail” manga (PSICOM); John Green’s “Paper Towns,” translated by Bebang Siy and Ronald Verzo (National Book Store); and Marivi Soliven Blanco’s “Mango Bride,” translated by Danton Remoto (National Book Store). ; 4) XXX – Risque topics also all the rage, with offerings such as the steamy novel “Making Love in Spanish” by B. Wiser, “Happy Na, Gay Pa” by Danton Remoto, “Sex, Virginity and Relationships” by Pammy Godoy; and “Life, Love and Lust” by Dr. Margie Holmes, all by Anvil Publishing; 5) Humor – MIBF showcases the runaway hits “Stupid is Forever” and “Stupid is Forevermore” by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago (ABS-CBN Publishing). Bestselling author Noringai also returns with “The Goodbye Girl: Mga Iba’t-ibang Kwento ng Kasentihan (Anvil Publishing); 6) Children’s Books and YA – The latest picture books from local publishers are set to be unveiled at the MIBF. Notable titles include”35 Kuwentong Klasiko” (Adarna House); “Mang Andoy’s Signs” by Mailyn Paterno, illustrated by Isabel Roxas (Tahanan Books); “From Manila with Love: A Balikbayan Story” by Amy Luna Capelle, illustrated by Auri Asuncion Yambao (Tahanan Books); “Sino Po Sila,” a new interactive series by Jomike Tejido (Anvil Publishing); “Hudson Taylor and the Great Impossible” by Jojie Wong, illustrated by Jether Amar (Hiyas OMF Lit); and “All About the Philippines” by Gidget Jimenez, illustrated by Corazon Dandan-Albano (Tuttle Books); 7) Latest in Fiction – With bestselling authors and series making a comeback this season, the latest fiction titles that readers will be looking for at the MIBF include: “The Girl in the Spider’s Web,” a Lisbeth Salander novel by David Lagercrantz; “The Shepherd’s Crown” by Terry Pratchett, “Seveneves” by Neal Stephenson; “Wind / Pinball” by Haruki Murakami; “Undercover” by Daniel Steele. F.H. Batacan’s National Book Award-winning crime novel “Smaller and Smaller Circles,” which recently marked its international release, is also expected to be an MIBF bestseller; 8) Inspirational – New inspirational titles include “When A Good God Allows Rape” by Joy Tan-chi Mendoza (OMF Lit); “He Can Catch You When You Fall” by Miriam Quiambao (Church Strengthening Ministry); “8 Ways to Comfort with Grace” by Rita Avila (St. Pauls Publishing); and “Make Your Nanay Proud” by Boy Abunda (ABS-CBN Publishing); “Lovestruck: Sweetheart Edition” by Ronald Molmisa; and “Real Men are Pogi: How to be Handsome in God’s Eyes so you can be Ready for your God’s Best” by Ardy Roberto (OMF Lit) and “BOBOto ba Ako? How to Think Smart and Vote Right” by Rei Lemuel Crizaldo (OMF Lit); 9) Non-fiction – Foodies will feast over cookbooks such as “Simply Delicious” by Maya Kitchen and “Philippine Breads” by Gene Gonzalez; while history buffs will surely dig “Heneral Luna: The History Behind the Movie” by Dr. Vivencio R. Jose and Ambeth Ocampo’s new “Looking Back” volume “Demonyo Tables,” all from Anvil Publishing. Find these books and more at the MIBF, organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc. in partnership with Asian Catholic Communicators, Inc., Book Development Association of the Philippines, Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc., and the Overseas Publishers Representatives Organization of the Philippines. For details, e-mail bookfair@primetradeasia.com.