Literary Tour #3: Bookayukay

I just finished reading a blog entry entitled How Reading is Like Dating and I started thinking about my relationship (Haha! :P) with books. This led me to reminisce about visiting secondhand bookstores / stalls. During my poorer days in college, I had to rummage through piles of children’s books in secondhand stores, some of which were in shady areas. I remember sitting down in a corner, getting my fingers dusty and sweating like crazy – but there was nothing more fulfilling than finding so much treasures in those pile of worn books. There’s something about finding a pre-loved / used book – it makes you wonder about who used to own it, where it came from and how it got there. Buuut, enough drama. :p

So for my latest book hunt, I decided to visit the secondhand bookstore along Maginhawa Street called Bookayukay.

This small store is found on the third floor. It’s right beside a tattoo parlor and is surrounded by a spa, a restaurant and a skateboard place. It’s pretty fun to visit because it seems like so many things are happening all at once.

The place gives off a vintage feel – you’ll see old posters of The Beatles, some cassette tapes hidden in the shelves, sketches on the walls and some DVDs near the counter. Entering the store feels like entering someone’s room – it’s cluttered and you feel like the owner just couldn’t let go of his / her possessions.

The collection of books range from children’s books to philosophy to art books to Twilight (haha!). They actually have a lot of the newer books (E.g. Malcolm Gladwell, Nick Hornby) that are priced a bit lower than regular stores. The children’s books are quite disappointing but I was happy to see a slightly tattered copy of Where the Wild Things Are  and one novel from the Anne of Green Gables series. There were also a few comic books from the Marvel collection and the Bone series.

If you’re tired, there’s a comfy black couch right across the wall of sketches. It’s also a good place to cool down since it gets pretty stuffy and hot inside. On top of the cashier’s counter are some CDs and DVDs for lovers of Indie music and films.

I ended up taking these home with me:

My first copy of Ayn Rand’s The Romantic Manifesto never came back. I found her writings on literature and psycho-epistemology of art quite fun to read. As for the other book, Alice’s so-called third adventure seemed worth getting. After all, it was just twenty pesos. :p

So if you feel like reading, getting a drink from the nearby resto and getting a tattoo, then Bookayukay might seem like the place for you! :p